Harry Potter and the Secret Sanctuary
by Farfumsane
Summary: This fic has been renamed, was 'Year of Discovery'. Harry and co.’s 6th year is filled with new powers, places, experiences and faces. HighPower!Harry. No slash. Ships can be found in the AN at the beginning of the first chapter.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights To Harry Potter, or any of the cannon characters or ideas. I only wish I did.

**AN: **I have read many fan fics. And have, no doubt, been influenced by them. I will always try to give credit where credit is due, however, occasionally I will have forgotten where I read a particular idea and for that I do apologize. Thank you for you time.

**SHIPS:** I was asked to add this part so as to avoid people getting too involved and then finding out it contained a ship they couldn't stand, so here it is.

The Relationships in this story will be:

Harry: H/Susan, H/SallyAnnPerks, H/O(F)C, and (eventually) H/G,   
Ginny: GW/DT, GW/Justin FF, and (eventually) GW/HP,   
Ron: R/O(F)C, R/Hr,   
Hermione: Hr/RW   
Neville: NL/O(F)C,   
Other: RL/NT.

On with the show...

**Prologue**

Number four Privet drive had never felt so lonely. The grey wall to the right of the bed had been poor company for the past two weeks, but still he lay there and stared at it. Behind him the rattling cage brought him out of his hypnotic fascination with the wall whose colour so accurately reflected his mood.

Rolling over he swung his legs off the edge of the bed and got up. The wave of dizziness that soon followed caused him to grab the chair at his desk in order to remain vertical. Between lack of sleep and the virtual starvations he had endured this last week, it was almost a wonder he could stand at all.

Making his way over to the cage, he looked in it and sighed to the bird.

"I'm sorry Hedwig. But you know uncle Vernon would kill me if I let you out."

The bird seemed to respond with an exasperated sigh of her own.

"I'll see if I can sneak you out tonight after everyone's asleep, but I can't make any promises"

The bird's mood notably brightened at the prospect of freedom and so she sat quietly and patiently awaiting nightfall.

'Birds like this were not meant to be locked up indoors.' thought the young boy.

Some would say that a snowy owl was an odd pet for a 15 year old boy, but then again, odd seemed to be the only word that could describe this 15 year old boy to begin with.

Harry Potter was far from normal.

A quick look around the room would reveal a whole new world to the average person: books strewn about with such titles as 'Standard book of spells: grade 5' and 'Jinxes for the Jinxed', a metal cauldron sitting in the corner, pictures of people who were still moving, and a thin piece of wood sitting on his desk. It looked a little like a conductors baton from the orchestra, but just a bit thinker and longer. There was that other small difference between the two items: I don't know of many conductors batons whose centers held a phoenix' tail feather.

You see, Harry Potter was a wizard and that thin piece of wood was his wand.

"But even in the wizarding world I'm not considered normal." sighed Harry to himself remembering, yet again, the events of his life that the world he had become so fond of, had used to define him.

The Boy-Who-Lived.

Rubbing the lighting shaped scar on his forehead, he remembered all he had been told about that night. As a baby, his parents sacrificed themselves instead of turning and aiding an evil wizard. His mother's sacrificed not only saved him, but somehow gave him the power to send the curse that would have killed the baby right back at the one who casted it, successfully ending that evil wizard's reign of terror…at least for a time. That night, he had become famous, but he never found about it until he reached the age of eleven.

Before that day he had been living full time with his uncle, aunt and cousin, thinking that his parents had died in a car crash. They treated him like a freak and a worthless piece of vermin. He was shunned at school, constantly picked on by his cousin and his cousin's cronies, and had no friends of his own.

Harry's life had certainly been different since that birthday. It was then that he discovered he was a wizard. For the last 5 years he had been attending 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' and had actually made friends and started living a life of his own. Of course it hadn't all been fun and games. There was bad with the good.

The worst of the bad being the return of Lord Voldemort, the same dark wizard who killed his parents. He was back…thanks to Harry.

Sitting back down on his bed and closing his eyes he remembered the events of two years ago. 'Kill the spare' the cold voice had said, at this someone shouted 'AVADA KEDAVRA!' and the green light slammed into Cedric and he lay dead on the ground in the graveyard. Then later he was being cut and his blood was being used against his will to bring back his greatest enemy.

And then there was Sirius at the ministry this past June…

"BOY! GET OUT OF THAT ROOM AND GET DOWN HERE NOW!" cried a voice from down stairs.

"Coming, Uncle Vernon." Harry yelled back. He would almost be thankful for the distraction from his thoughts, had it come from almost any other source.

Harry got up, grabbed some over sized jeans, recently thrown at him by his aunt while she complained that they must have shrunk since they no longer fit her precious Duddikins, and pulled them on. He grabbed a faded t-shirt, yet another cast off from his cousin, and put that on as well.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs he was greeted by his not so pleasant uncle. "For years now we have clothed you, and fed you. We even let you use Dudley's second bedroom! Well, now it's time to start paying us back for all of our sacrifices to you over the years." He paused and a sinister smile appeared on his face. "Tomorrow morning you'll get up early and help Mr. Walthers who'll be coming over to replace our roof. I'd make you to do it alone, but I want it done RIGHT! And I know full well that you can't do anything right! So just do what he says. Do you understand me?"

"Yes uncle Vernon."

Harry could tell that his uncle wanted to say more on the subject, though. Uncle Vernon had developed an amazing sense of control. He knew full well that Harry was being watched this summer, after the warning he received at Kings Crossing from Mad-eye. This was only the third time, in the fourteen days since he'd been home, that he had actually spoken to Harry, and Harry didn't mind that one bit.

"Right! Now get out of my sight!" he yelled as he turned to go back into the kitchen, then he stopped and turned back around. "And make sure you send…_them_ a letter saying we're treating you well!" After this, he finally made his way into the kitchen.

'Ah well. In the very least this should help keep me distracted' thought the boy. 'I just hope this guy's not as much of a git as my uncle is!'

Arriving back at his room, Harry sat down on his bed. Unfortunately, his mind decided to pick up where it had left off before it had been interrupted.

Sirius.

'Why did I have to go to the ministry? I had the mirror he gave me, why didn't I just look in that? Why do I have to play the hero all the time!'

"POOF"

Harry was suddenly torn from thoughts by a burst of flames followed by a phoenix.

" 'Lo Fawkes" said the boy, trying to appear to be in a better mood then he was.

The phoenix trilled it's reply, immediately lightening Harry's mood and bring something to his face that almost resembled a smile. Fawkes' music always made him feel better.

The beautiful phoenix flew over to Harry's desk, deposited an envelope on it and then flew over and sat on Harry's knee.

Harry started petting the bird's plumage as it continued to sing a soft soothing melody. The phoenix' song always calmed Harry and relaxed him both physically and mentally.

After about 5 minutes of singing, Fawkes flew up off of Harry's leg.

"Good bye Fawkes. Thanks for coming, I really needed that."

With another quick goodbye trill he vanished in a small burst of flames and a puff of smoke.

"I wonder what he wants." Harry asked himself as he looked at the letter on his desk which he knew was from the headmaster of his school, Professor Dumbledore. "It's probably a bill for the replacement cost of all the items I destroyed in his office."

He had been receiving letters from many people this summer, Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, Luna, Neville, the twins, even Ginny had written him, but he had answered none of them. Heck, he hadn't even opened them. Opening them would have caused him to want to reply to them. If he replied to them, they'd know he cared and then he wouldn't be able to distance himself from them like he knew he had to do for their own safety.

After what he had done to Sirius, he couldn't let anything like that happen to another one of his friends. It would hurt them at first, he knew, but it would be for the better.

He realized he couldn't just throw this one away though, so he slowly opened it and began to read it's contents.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am writing you this letter for I fear that I might have, once again, done more harm then good when it comes to making decisions pertaining to your well being and for that I am truly sorry._

'Another apology?' thought Harry.

Harry still remembers the last apology that Dumbledore gave him back in June after he had returned from the ministry. He remembered the guilt behind the old man's eyes as he asked for Harry's forgiveness at the pain he knew he had caused Harry. The sadness…

He shook his head briefly. 'Finish the letter, then think about it.'

_I have received, more then one, urgent owl from some of your friends, fearing for your health. Not your physical health, but your mental and emotional health. _

_They are concerned that you have not written to them yet this summer despite their initial attempts at contacting you. One of them even informed me that she heard you tell your aunt that you weren't home last time she tried to call you on the telephone._

_I fear I might have fed this personal retreat by sending you back there alone, in a time when you needed people the most, and for that, I once again apologize._

_Do you remember what I told you in June about some of the mistakes I've made in your life? How I said 'distancing myself from you was an old man's mistake'? You are still young Harry, do not start making the same mistakes I have when you know what the outcome will be. This burden that I passed on to you should not, no,can not be carried alone. You will need the support of your friends before this is all over. _

_I know that I have damaged the relationship between us by what I kept from you (the prophecy and myself last year) but if you will allow me, I would like to try to earn your trust back. I care for you too much to give up on you and as such, you will find that I will be there for you whenever you need me, till the end. That being said, I do not think I am the only one who thinks this about you._

_Your friends are writing to me because they are concerned for you. Because they care. Please, do not push away those who choose to be with you. They are there because they have chosen to be there, not because you have tricked them, or failed to warn them of the dangers, but because they could think of no other place in the world that they would rather be then by your side in your time of need._

_Always remember that you are not alone._

_If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me and I shall do everthing in my power to help you._

_Love,_

_Albus__ Dumbledore_

Harry was surprised, to say the least, to receive such a personal letter from the headmaster whose office he trashed not even a month ago, but it was welcome.

'What should I do?'

_Would you want your friends to shut you out if they were having problems?_

'No, but this is different. This is a BIG problem.'

_If they had a BIG problem, anything like this one, would you want to help them?_

'Especially then...but they could get hurt by helping me!'

_Would it stop you if you thought you could get hurt helping them?_

'No, but I can stop it from happening to them!'

_Would you want them to stop you if the situations were reversed?_

'No...but...that's not the point!'

_Isn't it?_

'We'll continue this later' he told that frustrating voice in his head that had been arguing with him for quite some time now. He assumed it was his conscience. He was still a little confused as to why it sounded like the voice of a young lady, but it made him think of his mother and he thought that it was somehow appropriate that she was guiding him.

'It's nice to have a conscience and all…but I wish it wouldn't take such an active role in my life'

_Don't we all. S_he said, slightly amused.

With this last thought in mind, Harry picked up his book and continued reading where he had left off before his odd fascination with the wall had drawn him from it.

He had been doing a lot of reading these past couple of weeks. It was helping to keep him distracted from the feelings of guilt and sadness that had been brought on by Sirius' passing this past spring.

Besides, if the prophecy was right, he'd need to start doing some work towards making sure it turned out the way he wanted it to: With him as the victor.

His summer resolution was to memorize every one of his spell books. He would be fully prepared the next time he faced Voldemort. He might not know what power he had that _'the dark lord knows not'_ but, none the less, he would do all he could to prepare for the enviable.

Sure, "Curses and Counter Curses" wasn't the most advanced book that he owned, and he knew that spells like the Jelly-legs and the Hair loss curses probably wouldn't be very much help in an encounter of that nature, but he wanted to leave no stone unturned. He wanted to familiarize himself with every offensive spell he had at his disposal, no matter how insignificant they may appear.

Surprise was always the best weapon.

The corner of Harry's mouth turned up in a slight grin at the though of Voldemort laughing hysterically due to the tickling hex as he wiggled and wobbled around from the jelly legs hex at the same time. This was the closest thing to a smile to grace his face since June.

Then a new thought crossed his mind.

'I wonder if I can combine spell effects and set them off with only one spell?' This was something he would definitely have to look into when he back at Hogwarts.

Not being able to actually use magic outside of school, due to his underage status, all he could do was read his books, practice his wand movements and become as familiar with their contents as possible. He was looking forward to getting back to school so that he could _really_ start preparing. But for now, he just did what he could.

* * *

**AN:** Please review and give your input. I will continue to post if I find that I there is sufficient interest in what I write. 

Farfumsane


	2. Resolutions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights To Harry Potter, or any of the cannon characters or ideas. I only wish I did.

**Chapter 1: Resolutions**

Back at the Burrow, Ron was also staring at a flat grey surface as the overcast sky was being reflected in the calm pond by his house.

He felt useless.

'Stupid school! Stupid girls! Stupid ministry! Stupid V-V-V-Voldemort! Stupid, Pathetic, Useless Ron!'

'My best friend has had to face the worst of it and I haven't been able to do a thing to help!' thought Ron, angrily.

He thought about his last 5 years of school and how time and time again Harry or Hermione had helped him out of a situation he should have been able to handle on his own. The Devils Snare, the giant spiders, flying brains, these were things he should have known how to deal with. Then there was the chamber of secrets.

'I should have been able to move those rocks! I had to send Harry to save _MY_ sister and almost get himself killed because I didn't know the right spell to move a couple of lousy boulders.'

'I can't even say _HIS _name out loud.' he thought in self defeat.

Then his defeated facial expression turned into one of determination.

"Well this ends now!" he stated to no one in particular.

Deep down, Ron knew what the final battle was going to be. Harry and Voldemort. He didn't know how he knew, it seemed ridiculous after all that a teenager would have to go up against a Dark Lord, but somehow he knew that in the end that's what would happen. And there was NO WAY he was letting his best mate face all the challenges up to that last fight alone. He'd be ready and help as best he could!

Then with an air of confidence that thus far had eluded him, he swore to the lake and his own reflection.

"Harry will NOT do this alone. I'll be there to help and Voldemort will pay!"

He got up and walked up to the house with a new found determination.

"Mom?"

"Yes Ron dear?" Mrs. Weasley replied

"Can we go to Diagon Alley soon? There are some books I want to pick up."

After Ron's last comment several of the knives that were slicing vegetables, of their own volition, for tonight's dinner stopped and fell to the counters with a clang, as Mrs. Weasley lost total concentration of what she was in the process of doing. She turned slowly to face her youngest son with a look of surprise on her face.

"Of – of course dear" said his mother quickly shifting her look of shock into that of a smile "I was going to go in a couple of days to pick up some things for around the house, you can come with me then if you like."

"Ok, sounds good. Thanks mum." And then he turned and left the kitchen.

Molly was still slightly taken aback at her son's uncharacteristic request. 'Books? Since when has Ron been interested in books?' Her pleasant smile returned. 'It's good to see him finally starting to grow up and concentrate on school, and not a moment too soon, not with him starting his N.E.W.T. studies this year.' Pleased with what she thought was her son's new found sense of dedication to his schooling, she returned to the task at hand.

Ron went up to Ginny's room, reached out to the shelf and grabbed the well used book entitled 'Standard book of spells, Grade 1'. He then walked across the hall to his room and threw himself on his bed.

'Guess I should start at the beginning' thought Ron as he opened the book that had been handed down through several of the Weasley children. Most of these spells he already knew, but there might be something he'd missed that could come in handy later. With that last thought he started reading.

* * *

Later that night, Harry finally finished his book and put it back in his trunk. Listening at his door, he heard the tell tale signs of sleep as uncle Vernon's snoring drifted to his ears. He then opened his window and turned towards Hedwig's Cage. 

Silently opening it, he said quietly, "Now remember girl, only a couple of hours, then I have to put you back in here. Make sure you don't go too far."

With a slight nod and a look of understanding in her eyes Hedwig exited her cage and flew out the window and into the night sky.

Harry had always been amazed at how intelligent his owl was. Sometimes he wasn't exactly sure which one of them was the master and which one was the pet.

Then he turned, looked at his bed and sighed. 'What's the point? Until I can get that blasted occlumency under control I won't be able to get a wink of _peaceful_ sleep.' Staring longingly at his cauldron he wished again, for what seemed to be the thousandth time, that he knew how to brew the dreamless sleep draught. 'There has to be a way for me to get a full night's sleep without these ruddy nightmares constantly waking me up.'

He thought again about the nightmares he had been having. It was always the same. Back at the Ministry, in the department of mysteries, he'd watch, frozen in place, as Sirius dueled with Bellatrix. 'Then he was falling. I still couldn't move. Frozen in place I watched as he fell through the veil, and passed out of this existence. There was nothing I could do…I couldn't get here fast enough…I was useless.'

At this last thought Harry lowered his face into his hands and started weeping.

'It's my fault he's gone.'

_You said it yourself; there was nothing you could do. _Her voice said, matter-of-factly but still with compassion.

'But if I would have been practicing my occlumency none of this would have happened.'

_It's not your fault that you care for people. You did what you thought was right. You did what Sirius did when he went off to help you_. She reminded him.

'But now he's dead.'

_But he died doing what he believed was right. He died well. He died for his friends. We should all be so fortunate._

Then his 'conscience' took the offensive.

_Would he want you wallowing in self pity over his heroic act?_

'No.' Harry thought hesitantly.

_Would he want you shutting down, and shutting out every one around you?_

'No' Harry thought with a little more conviction.

_What would he want you to do now?_

'Stop feeling guilty about his…and anyone else's deaths?'

_And…_

'And live my life without regret?'

_Then why aren't you?_

That little, nagging voice in his head was right.

'Why wasn't I? I only feel guilty because people follow me into things, not because I force them into these things. Just like Dumbledore said in his letter.' he thought as he started drying his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

_What if Ron or Hermione went into battle? Would you be by their side?_

'Of course I would!' thought Harry

_What about if it was Neville? Or Luna? Or...Ginny? _Asked the voice with what seemed to be a little hesitation.

'Absolutely! I already have,' he thought with conviction. 'and would again in a second.'

_Would you want any of them to feel guilty if something happened to you? Would you have wanted Ginny to feel guilty if Fawkes wouldn't have been there to help you?_

'Definitely NOT!'

_I rest my case your honour._

He had just been given a lot to think about.

"Well, since I'm up anyways, I might as well do something productive." he whispered to himself as he opened his desk and removed his quill and some parchment.

Dumbledore was right, he couldn't push the people way from him because they wouldn't let him, and if they were going to be there anyway, the best thing Harry could do for them was to tell them how much he appreciated them and to keep them well informed about what was going on.

Had someone done the same for him, then maybe Sirius would still be alive. Had Dumbledore told him then maybe…but what, exactly, had Dumbledore done wrong? Had he lied to him? Had he asked him to do anything wrong? His biggest mistake was caring too much. If that was a crime, then Harry was guilty too. If he would do the same, then how could he still be mad at Dumbledore. Dumbledore had apologized and was truly sorry for what had happened, what he had done to Harry.

'I saw it in his eyes that night. He _really was _sorry.' Harry had no doubts at the sincerity of Dumbledore's apology.

So now was not the time to hold a grudge. It was time to learn from the mistakes of others so that he wouldn't repeat them and hurt someone else.

It was time to forgive.

He then made his way to his garbage can, removed the letters from his friends and finally read them one by one.

Much to the displeasure of his uncle, one of the owls that had delivered the letters had flown into his window at the same time his neighbors were watering their flowers. Harry got an ear full for that.

Looking at the letters in his hand he did something that he really hadn't done for a long time. He smiled. He was finally realizing that he wasn't alone and no matter what life tossed his way, he knew he never would be.

Opening up the first one, he read:

_Hey Harry,_

_How's it going? Everything here is rather boring. I've only been home for 5 days now and wish I had something more to do. _

_Fred and George are trying to liven things up around here with a whole slew of new Weasley Wizarding Weezes products. I have no idea where they got the money to do all this though. I think they might be into something illegal. All those gags are great and all, but it must have cost them a pretty knut to make them all in the beginning. I don't know how they did it, but I intend to find out. _

_Anyways, Hermione has gone to __America__ this summer with her parents so she should have loads of new and 'interesting' things to tell…I mean share with us when she gets back. –smirk-_

_Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I want you to know. It's not your fault! I know you're probably sick and tired of people telling you that, but the truth is that Sirius wouldn't want you to feel guilty about what happened. He did it because he cared for you, and I'm sure, even if he knew the end result, he would do it again in a heartbeat in order to save you. And I know I would too. And if anything ever happened to me when I was with you, and you felt guilty about it, I'd come back and kick your ass! None of us do the things we do for you because we have to. We do them because we want to._

_Well, that's enough of me ranting for now. I'm sorry if I upset you, I just wanted to get it off my chest. I promise not to mention it again unless you bring it up first, you have my word. _

_Write back and let me know how you're doing. Oh yeah, and enjoy the cookies from mum. I told her how those muggles starve ya, and now she told me that I couldn't send you anything without a bit of food attached._

_Don't let the muggles get ya down!_

_Your mate,_

_Ron_

Harry smiled again despite himself. Ron must REALLY be bored to send him a letter this long. But he was right, and Harry was starting to realize that.

'Had it really been over a week since this letter had arrived?' he thought guiltily.

Harry proceeded to take out the enchanted parchment that Dumbledore had given him before the summer started. The enchantment on it wouldn't let anyone but the person who the letter was addressed to read it. This made it easier for Harry to write since he didn't have to try to make up ridiculous codes. It also helped that Dumbledore had enchanted Hedwig with a bunch of charms to make her faster and untraceable.

_Hey Ron,_

_I'm sorry it took so long for me to write you back. I had some things to sort out, but I think I'm on the right track. _

_As for your rant…thank you. I've thought about it quite a bit, and I'm starting to think you might be right. It might take a while for me to take it to heart, but at least it's a start. It's nice to see that you aren't trying to walk on eggshells around me. I think I appreciate that more then anything._

_I'm also starting to realize just how much of a prat I've been over the last few years to you and Hermione and constantly taking everything that's going on in my life out on you two. I just want to say thanks for stickin with me. _

_The next time you, Hermione and I are together, we have to sit down and talk. I have a lot to tell you guys that shouldn't be written down about what has been going on in my life. I don't want anymore secrets._

_Has there been any word as to when I'll be able to leave this place and come and stay with you? Or if we're all going to headquarters soon? Let me know if you hear any buzz about it._

_If you could let your dad know that I'm doin' fine, it would save me having to write a letter to the order myself to tell them._

_Thank your mum for the cookies, they were great. -smile-_

_Your mate,_

_Harry_

The Order was making him write regular letters to them to make sure his uncle was treating him all right. Harry wasn't exactly sure what they'd do if he wasn't, but as tempting as it was to find out, Harry decided to avoid that situation. They might be feeding him less then usual, but that's ok, he hadn't been that hungry anyways. On the whole, they hadn't been that bad this summer…so far.

Now there was Hermione's letter,

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you doing? Are you holding up ok? I just wanted to write to you and let you know what I've been up to since I left school. _

_We went straight from the train station to the airport and headed over seas._

_America__ has been BRILLIANT! I've been able to go though a bunch of brochures since I got here and we will be visiting TONS of great historic wizarding sites everywhere! We plan on going to as many different places as we can; from __Salem__ to Ceremonial Native American Ritual sites. It's AMAZING. I can't wait to share everything I've learned with you guys. _

"I can hardly wait" whispered Harry, sacasticaly, to himself.

_We also got to go on a tour of Shiva's __school__ of __Witchcraft__ and Wizardry located in the __Grand Canyon__! Isn't that INCREDIBLE? We're actually STAYING here for a few days._

_After we leave the school we'll start touring around the country in a combination magical van and portkey that someone we know here will drive us around in. We'll be able to visit twice the places in half the time. I'm so excited._

_If you want to write me back you'll have to send it to Professor Dumbledore first. He knows the quickest way to get it to me._

_I have to be going now. I just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you and hoping you're doing ok._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

I wonder how Dumbledore can get it there so fast? I guess I'll ask him when I see him next.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm glad to hear that you're having so much fun. I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to respond to you, but here it is. _

_I can't wait to hear about your trip. Maybe you should take some PICTURES this time so that we can actually see all these amazing things for ourselves…not that your descriptions aren't entertaining._

Harry had always noticed that she goes one these trips every summer, but never brings back any pictures to show them. He asked her about it last time, but she had answered by saying that seeing it first hand had been so amazing that she didn't want to belittle the _TRUE_ majesty of it by attempting to cage it in an 8" by 4" frame.

_As for me, I'm doing fine. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, today mostly actually, and am starting to come to terms with everything that's happened to me so far. _

_I'm starting to realize that I'm not making the people around me do the things they are doing. They're doing it because the want to, not because they have to (to quote a mutual, red headed friend of ours)._

_And that even though I don't TRY to do it, I tend to be a person that other people look to for guidance and leadership. I know that sounds pompous and egotistical…but it's not meant to…if I'm making any sense I'd be impressed actually. As I said, I'm just starting to figure things out. _

_I hope this year will be different in that I will TRY to keep you guys more up to speed as to what's going on in my life. No more secrets. I'm starting to figure out that I'm stuck with you guys (you and Ron mostly -smile-) and I'd rather you have ALL the facts before you rush into a situation along side me, instead of just what you've been able to deduce from my moods. I have seen first hand what NOT having all the facts can lead to._

_I'm sorry I've been so distant with you guys and I just want to say thank you for putting up with me. I want to start treating you two like the friends you have always treated me as._

_Anyways…enough of this emotional crap. I hope you have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you as soon as I can. I have some things I want to tell both of you in person._

_Thanks again for everything,_

_Your friend always,_

_Harry _

'Writing things down sure helps focus the brain' he though as he re-read the letter he had just written to Hermione. 'It's true though, people _DO_ look to me for leadership. Just look at the DA. I didn't _force_ my opinions on any of them, but they still followed me. Just look at Neville, Luna and Ginny. Sure Ginny may feel like she owes me, but not the other two, yet they were _still_ willing to come with me and risk their lives in order to help me.'

Then there was that prophecy…

…_and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives._

He was going to be heading the fight regardless by the looks of things. Best be prepared for whatever lies in store. If they were going to look to him anyway, the least he could do would be to ensure that he knew what he was doing.

He folded and sealed the two letters and quickly scribbling a note to Professor Dumbledore thanking him for his letter and asking him to forward Hermione's letter to her.

The next was a quick letter from Luna asking how he was doing, telling him that she and her father would be going out one an expedition this summer to find some beast Harry had never heard of, and that she would bring him all the 'Carnhops' she could find (whatever those were) because they (supposedly) make a person feel better when depressed.

'She may be nuts, but she's my friend, and always manages to make me smile.' he concluded after he read her letter.

_Dear Luna,_

_How is your summer going? Have you and your father found what you were looking for?_

_I just wanted to write you a quite message thanking you for both your letter and your help at the ministry. I know I might not have treated you like much of a friend last year, (and for that I want to apologize) but when push came to shove you were there for me and that means more to me then I can ever express in words. You are a true friend._

_I'm doing alright. I won't lie and say I'm fine, I'm not sure if you know or not, but Sirius Black, who fell through the veil, was my godfather, and he was the closest thing to a father I have ever had. I just lost someone very dear to me and I know it will take time to heal. But I am healing._

_I want you to know that if you EVER have a problem, I am here to help. Even if all I can do is listen, I will always do everything in my power to help a friend._

_Thank you again for all you support._

_Your friend,_

_Harry_

After re-reading it he folded it up and placed it with the others. He then remembered about someone else who was at the ministry, but hadn't written him and decided to write Neville anyway. With what happened to him there; having had the Cruciatus curse put on him by the same person who used it to drive his parents' insane, broken nose, and breaking his father's wand to name a few, he might need a friend right now as much as Harry did.

_Hey Neville,_

_I just wanted to write you a quick letter of thanks for your help at the ministry. You were brave beyond words, and kept cool under pressure. You truly are a brave and devoted friend and I'm sure your parents would be VERY proud of you. I know I am. _

_If you have any problems with your gran; if she gets mad at you for going, for breaking your dads wand, for anything you did at the ministry, please tell me so that I can be there at your side to help and defend you as you came to defend me in my time of need. I will help in whatever way I can. I could never put a price on the friendship and loyalty you have shown me._

_I have to admit that while on our way there, I was not sure of your guys' abilities. I was scared for your, Ginny's, and Luna's safety especially, but as it turns out, you three were just as, if not more capable then the other three of us. Please forgive me for my lack of faith in your abilities, for you truly are a talented wizard._

_I should go now, it's getting late and I still have a couple more letters to write. _

_Thank you again for everything my friend. If you ever need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me._

_Your friend, _

_Harry_

Completing that one, he took out the letter that Mrs. Weasley wrote to him.

It was just a short note asking how he was doing, if he needed anything, and reminding him that there are those who care for him. After finishing reading it, he had a warm feeling all around him like someone was hugging him and he smiled again. He didn't know how someone could make a reader feel so wanted and loved in only two short paragraphs.

A small tear slowly formed in his eye. He never knew his mother, but he prayed that she would have been like Mrs. Weasley if he had. She showed him love no matter what happened, and never asked for anything in return. She may be over protective at times, a little _too_ over protective at times, but she did it because she cared so much. Someday he would find a way to thank her for all she did for him.

_Dear Mrs. Weasley,_

_I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write you back. I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I'm confident I'm on the right track now thanks to you. The love and support you have shown me through the years have been a source of strength for me that I had never really appreciated until just recently. _

_I thank you very much for all your gifts and baking this summer. They were excellent and a definite improvement from the bland food I'm served here. I can't wait to come and visit so that I can enjoy your amazing cooking first hand again._

_Love, _

_Harry._

'One to go.' he reminded himself as he finished folding this one and placing it with the others.

He opened Ginny's letter and started to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I know we've only been back a few days, and I know we've never been especially close friends, and I know that's partially my fault for being so embarrassed around you, but after what happened at the ministry, and all the time we've spent together in DA this past year, I'm beginning to feel that I'm starting to get to know you better. And one thing I have learned about you is that you don't like it when people tip toe around you so I'm going to get straight to the point._

_I don't want you to blame yourself for what happened to Sirius, it wasn't your fault. You did what you thought you had to, and I'm sure, had I been in your shoes, I would have done the same. He loved you and there was nothing you could have done to stop him from being at your side when you needed help and just so you know, I know for a fact he's not the only one who feels that way._

_We came with you because we care and wanted to help. You gave us something last year that we didn't have before with that stupid Dumbridge teaching us. You gave us hope. You helped us to believe that it is possible to defend ourselves and that we shouldn't be afraid but stand up for what was right. _

_Please don't be angry with me, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I know what it's like to be used by Tom, to have him in your head and make you do things you shouldn't. I also know what it's like to feel guilty. You know the reason I didn't speak to you much in your third year? It was partially because I still had a crush on you, but mostly because I couldn't look at you without thinking what would have happened had things turned out differently down in the chamber. Had you died I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself at all, as it was, it still took me over a year to do it. _

_I don't expect you to get over this in a matter of days. I know it's been three years since my experience with him and I still have the occasional nightmare and still feel a small twinge of guilt, but I know that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be having any dreams at all. So if there is ever anything I can do for you, just let me know and I'll be happy to help._

_Hope the muggles are treating you better than usual, and I look forward to seeing you soon._

_Love,_

_Ginny._

'Wow. When did she grow up? That sure doesn't sound like Ron's little 10 year old sister.' Harry thought. It was true. He never really treated Ginny like an equal. She had always just been Ron's little sister. However, after all she'd been through, all her help last year, and the way she stood by him, he knew she was no longer a little girl. She was as true a friend as any of the others. This letter only confirmed that.

_Dear Ginny,_

_I want to start the letter of by saying thank you. Thank you for your help, thank you for your caring, thank you for your trust, and thank you for your faith in me. _

_You're right when you wrote that we were never especially close and I want to apologize for never noticing that you are your own person and not just Ron's little sister. I pray you'll forgive me for treating you like that for all the years that I've known you. You really showed me your true colours when you were there, fighting at my side at the ministry. You are a true friend, and I will never look at you in a lesser light ever again._

_Thank you for your letter. As I've written to Ron and Hermione, I am doing better. It'll take a while to get over, I know that, but I am getting better. Thank you for your offer to talk, I might just have to take you up on that some time. I never really thought about the fact that you, out of everyone, would know how I felt while being…used by Tom. Thank you. It's nice to know I'm not alone._

_That being said, I don't want you to feel guilty at all for what I chose to do that night. I don't blame you at all, and I don't want you to blame yourself either. If you want me to do the same with Sirius, then you have to do it too._

_I want you to know that the same goes for you. I will always be there for you as well, no matter what the situation, all you have to do is ask…and even sometimes when you don't ask I'll still be there. -wink- You're my friend now, and you wont be able to hide from me that easily anymore.(Just a warning) -smile- _

_When I come to the Burrow this summer (if I come to the burrow this summer) I need to tell Ron and Hermione some of the things I have been through this past year, and as my friend, I want you to be there too. As I told Hermione in her letter, I want to try to keep you all more up to speed as to what's going on in my life. I want my friends to have ALL the facts before they rush into a situation along side me. _

_Thank you again for everything._

_Your friend, now and always,_

_Harry._

He reread the letter and smiled to himself. He folded them all up and placed them on the corner of his desk to wait for Hedwig's return. Picking up another book from his trunk, he started to read "The Dark Arts Outsmarted" with a renewed interest silently thanking, again, whoever it was who created the room of requirement where he had found the book.

Hedwig returned a chapter later, saw the letters sitting on the desk and waited patiently on the windowsill holding her leg out.

"Oh, so I suppose you want to deliver these tonight, do you?" asked Harry in a hushed voice.

The owl just hooted quietly in response.

"These two go to Ron and Ginny at the Burrow, this one goes to Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts, this one goes to Neville Longbottom and this one goes to Luna Lovegood. I don't know where the last two live, but maybe Dumbledore can help you there. Ok?"

She hooted her agreement and patiently waited for her master to tie the letters to her.

Then he quickly added, "Make sure you don't come back till after night fall. I don't want uncle Vernon to get all huffed out over you."

She seemed to nod in response and then flew off with the letters in tow.

Harry closed his book and finally settled into bed.

After a long day of thinking and finally coming to terms with what he needed to do, tonight would bring him something he hadn't had in a long time;

A peaceful night's sleep.

* * *

**AN:** Please review. I'll post a couple more chapters regardless of feedback, but if I don't see sufficient interest I'll discontinue my efforts. I wouldn't want to waist anyone's time, or valuable mainframe space. 


	3. Stppenwolf, the Beatles and the Door?

**Disclaimer:** I claim not to be the creator of this fine line of stories. I am but one of the many who admire what she's done, and am exploring my inner author.

**Chapter 2: Steppenwolf, the Beatles and the Door?**

Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his work glove, Harry slumped down beside Mr. Walthers, sorry, Mike, and graciously accepted the chicken sandwich that he had been offered.

It had been just under two weeks since he had started working with Mike, and about a full week since they had completed the Dursley's roof. While they had been working, one of the Dursley's neighbours had come up and asked if they were interested in more work once they had finished there. Mike and Harry both accepted.

After only a few days of working together, they had become good friends.

Mike turned down the radio they listen to while they worked in order to talk without yelling.

"Still can't believe they'd send you out of the house every morning without a lunch. You should've told me sooner instead of just saying you weren't hungry."

"Sorry Mike. I just didn't know you that well for the first little while and didn't want to take the chance of my uncle hearing me complain." Harry responded.

Mike just shook his head and laughed "If you're so worried about your uncle's reactions, how is it that you felt the need to 'accidentally' drop a package of shingles onto his car from the roof?"

Harry replied with a mischievous smile "I was showing restraint! I waited 'til they were _out _of the car before I did it, didn't I?"

At this they both started laughing. Harry had gotten a stern 'talking to' for that one, but his uncle was still too scared of the Order to actually punish him the way he wanted to. Uncle Vernon had told him that all the money he made for the rest of the summer would go to him to pay for the damages. This was actually what Harry had planned all along. He knew full well that his uncle didn't want him on a neighbour's roof, but he also knew that his uncle wanted to pay for the damages himself even less. 'I love it when a plan comes together' thought Harry.

"Well, break's over. Grab a couple more packs of shingles with me and bring 'em up. By the looks of it, we'll be done tomorrow." said Mike.

Harry grabbed two packs with ease, flung them over his shoulder and began his ascent onto the roof. He remembered the first time he tried to bring a pack up to the roof. He could barely lift it at the time, let alone climb a ladder with it. Now he could manage three, but was told not to over do it, besides, it would also finish the job faster and neither of them really wanted get finished that quickly. As Mike always reminded him 'You're paid by the hour, not the payload.'

The work had been fun, but the best part, appart from the company, was the music. The first couple of days were spent in awkward silence and neither one of them knew what to make of the other. Mike had thought to bring his radio on the third day in attempts to lighten the mood a little, and it worked brilliantly. Harry occasionally would ask who this particular group was, and when they had been around and this would start a small conversation. Mike was a real music lover, mostly classic American rock, but a liked little bit of everything. Harry too started enjoying the 'classics' as Mike called them.

Harry smiled as the next song started up.

They must have listened to this particular CD five times already since they started working together, but he didn't mind. After all…how could he mind a song about magic, performed by a group whose name reminded him of one of his parents' best friends?

_…Close your eyes girl, look inside girl, let the sound take you away…_1

* * *

Ginny opened her eyes. Looking up from her day dreaming, and holding the letter that Harry had sent her over a week ago (again) she saw Ron looking at her grinning. 

"What!" asked Ginny, a little more defensively then she should have, as she reached over to shut off the WWN that had caused her to drift off into thought.

"Nothing, just wanted to know if that chess challenge of yours still stands?"

"Oh? " Then with a grin she added "Why? Are you finally ready to lose?" She knew it was just a brave front. In all her years of trying, she still hadn't beaten him.

"I don't think I have to worry about that" replied Ron, laughing a little "Besides, by the looks of things, you'll have more problems concentrating on the game then I will." he said as he let his eyes drop to the letter still clutched in her hands.

"HEY!" she said as she blushed slightly, trying, in vain, to hide it behind her back as if it wasn't there. "I was just surprised to get it. Not to mention that I'm still going out with Dean." she added with a smirk. She knew how much her brother hated the fact that she was dating someone in his year…actually, he hated the fact she was dating period.

Ron's smiled was quickly replaced by a scowl. He had always been protective of her. She was his only little sister after all and there was no one good enough for her. 'well…maybe one or two…'

As the game got under way, Ron's mind started to wander. He kept thinking about what he'd been reading. It had been a couple of weeks now since he had started his 'training' and he was still trying to think of what else he could be doing to improve his skills to be of more assistance to his best friend.

This game had been closer then it should have been due to his distraction, but unfortunately for Ginny, he still won.

"Ron? What's up? You haven't seemed yourself lately."

"Just a lot on my mind, that's all."

Ron thought of his confrontation with the twins earlier this summer about their sudden financial support. He accused them of possible illegal connections. They had denied it adamantly, however, but they still refused to tell him the name of their financier. Ron told them that he would no longer push them if they agreed to lend him some money for some things he needed to buy and they accepted.

With this, and the little money he had already saved up, he was able to buy a bunch of books that he thought would be helpful. He also changed some of his galleons into muggle money and had been taking physical fighting lessons in town at a dojo, unbeknownst to his mother of course, who thought he was just going for long walks in the woods.

All in all, he had learned quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. By the end of the summer, he was sure he'd be able to help Harry a lot more efficiently then he had in the past. But he still wanted to do more.

"What sort of things? Anything I can help you with?" asked Ginny, hoping to break free from the boredom that was already threatening to swallow her up this summer. "It has something to do with Harry, doesn't it?" It was more of a comment then a question.

'Man she's good. She's starting to get the mum mind reading thing already!' he thought.

"My 'distracted state' has nothing to do with Harry…at least not directly." With this he got up, thanked her for the game and made his way back to him room before she could question him further.

Ginny sat there looking even more confused then before. 'What is he up to?' she wondered.

She had over heard his conversation with the twins. Why did Ron need to buy all those books? Why didn't he let her see them when he brought them home? And he had been spending _WAY_ too much time reading in the first place! This just _ISN'T_ regular Ron behaviour.

'I know. I'll ask Hermione' she concluded 'if anyone can get my brother to talk, she can' she thought with a mischievous grin, thinking about how he'd do almost anything if Hermione asked him. When would he finally admit to himself that he liked her?

'Oh wait. She won't be back for another few weeks.' she remembered.

'I could ask Harry. He did, after all, tell me to come to him if I had any questions of problems, and who better to ask about Ron then his best friend? Of course, I wouldn't want to worry Harry especially if it has something to do with him. I know how frustrated he gets when he knows something is going on and he can't do anything about it.' Ginny thought about it a little longer and came to a conclusion.

'If it keeps up I'll write to Harry. But for now, I'll just wait and watch. Maybe I'll be able to figure this one out on my own.'

* * *

That evening, Harry got out of the car and thanked Mike for the work out. Mike had been taking Harry to the gym with him after work every other day. They'd quit work a couple of hours early, head to the gym, and be back to the Durrsley's at the same time so as not to get his uncle suspicious. It had been great. That, coupled with his morning runs, had really been helping Harry built up his stamina. 

Mike had also been a boxer at one point, and had been teaching Harry the finer points of this gentleman's sport. There was a lot of skill and tactics involved and Harry had a hard time figuring out how his dense cousin could be doing so well. Pure brawn can only take you so far in this sport. Harry could see how the foot-work and feinting could come in handy for dueling, not to mention he'd have a better chance defending himself against his oaf of a cousin if he ever tried anything again.

He went straight up to his room, closed his door and started taking off his work clothes. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror he stopped, stood up straight and walked over to the full body length mirror that hung in his room.

It was another cast off from Dudley. He wouldn't normally get something this nice, except that it was cracked in the middle. You see, Dudley had thrown a shoe at it the day he realized it wasn't wide enough for him to see his entire body. But it was just perfect for Harry.

Standing in from of it, he actually started to do something normal. Normal, at least, for a teenage boy. He started flexing, and admiring himself in the mirror. He tried pose, after pose, after pose and was pleased with the new him.

He was in better shape then he had ever been in his life and his growth spurt hadn't hurt either. He now stood 5'10", which wasn't bad for a 15 soon to be 16 year old boy. He was still growing after all.

He stood there admiring his well developed six pack, broad shoulders and a solid built until he heard a distinctly female voice…

"Wotcher, Harry. Nice view. I can see why you're admiring it. But here I always thought you were a briefs man."

He turned an AMAZING shade of red as he whipped around to see an electric blue haired Tonks standing in a thoughtful pose with one hand on her chin, the other on her elbow and an impish grin playing on her lips. She was wearing muggle clothes; a very tight pair of jeans and a rather small top that more then exposed her midriff, not to mention the fact that it was very low cut to begin with.

"What…uh…Why…uh…how…" he stammered as he frantically tried to cover himself with whatever he could grab first. Unfortunately, the wooden chair at his desk didn't do much to cover up his almost entirely naked body.

"You forget where and when." stated an amused Tonks "There's no need to cover up _now_. I've been standing here for a good five minutes already."

She started humming a tune that Harry would have recognized from Mike's collection had he not been so frantically diving for his closet.

He grabbed a pair of Dud's old jeans and a belt and put them on anyways. You see, admiring himself in the mirror was not the only normal teenage boy reaction he was experiencing at that moment, after seeing Tonks in her rather revealing outfit. After he was sufficiently satisfied that everything was covered, he then grabbed a shirt and threw that on as well.

"Oh, what a shame. I was enjoying the view" said Tonks with a seductive disappointed voice and a mischievous grin.

Collecting himself, but still rather embarrassed, Harry asked "Wh...what are you doing here?"

"You see…I was asked, by the order, to find out why you hadn't written us in five days. But by the look of you I would guess that your fine. Very fine." she said with a wink. "I guess I was just lucky to be the one chosen... and even luckier to come when I did" she added playfully with a smile and a wink.

Tonks was by no means unattractive, and Harry was having a _VERY_ difficult time remaining relatively composed and was now _EXTREMELY_ thankful he had had the foresight to put on a pair of jeans.

"Next time…could you knock?" pleaded Harry.

"What? And miss all the fun?" She said in mock disappointment.

Getting over the initial shock of the situation and feeling a little more daring, he replied "You're right. Maybe next time I might be wearing even less…but _THEN_ what would the Order say?" With a little more daring he added "Come to think of it, what would they say if I told them what you did this time…and what you were wearing when you did it?" he said with a glint in his eye and a wicked grin of his own

"You wouldn't!" she gasped as she suddenly realized that she would get in a bit of trouble if this got out…especially from Molly.

"Don't worry" Harry assured her "I won't tell _everybody_" he added with a grin and a wink of his own.

She continued to look worried.

"I'm just kidding. I promise I won't tell a soul, as long as YOU promise to knock next time." he finally conceded seeing her worried expression.

She seemed to relax a little at this.

Then looking down at his clothes and then back at hers, he added, "and… promise to take me shopping on Saturday for clothes that actually FIT me."

At this last bit her face lit up. "Deal!"

"By the way, I'm only 15, not 17." he said with a smug expression on his face as he finally recognized the popular muggle Beatle's tune that Tonks had been whistling. (2)

Now it was Tonks turn to go red. She hadn't thought that he would recognize the song, let alone know the lyrics.

"I'm flattered that you think that" he said as he crossed that room and held her hand in his. "But I suck at dancing, so I don't think you'll have to worry about fallin for me because of that." he added and mock frowned.

She blushed again and let out a soft, and very self conscious "Sorry."

'My, how the tables have turned' he thought.

At this he started chuckling "Don't be. I was just getting you back for _ogling_ me while my back was turned."

"I was NOT OGLING YOU!" she said, even more embarrassed then before.

"Yeah, that was convincing." laughed Harry. "And by the way, that's a lovely shade of red you're turning."

"Well…now we're even." she said quietly as she started returning to her normal colour.

"Sounds good to me."

"Ok then. I'll see you on Saturday, at 10am." she replied, still slightly embarrassed but much more composed then before.

"Oh, Tonks?" he said as she was about to leave "Could you also change this to muggle money for me before then?" he asked handing her his bag of galleons, sickles and knuts.

"No problem. See you Saturday." she smiled, and then opened the door, put on her invisibility cloak and left.

Closing the door, Harry just shook his head silently with a smile on his face as he thought about what just transpired in his room. The more he thought about it though, the less he smiled.

'How did she get in without me noticing? I know she had the invisibility cloak, but my door was closed. There are anti apparition wards around my house, so she must have been in here before I got home. If that were the case, why did she wait until I was undressed to talk to me? I'm just glad she didn't wait any longer, I was about to take off my….oh. That's probably why she stopped me when she did. She was probably going to wait till I was dressed again, but she wanted to save me from REAL embarrassment.' He thought.

'Ok, well that answers one question, but why was she here while I was gone? I know someone from the Order is always supposed to be following me, so who was on duty while she was here? And why didn't they just ask me themselves before I came into the house?'

He took a quick inventory of his room. Nothing seemed to be missing, not that he thought Tonks a thief, but what was going on?

"BOY! Come down for dinner if you don't want me to give it to Dudley!" his aunt yelled from downstairs.

"Coming." he replied. They didn't feed him much, or often, so at this point he'd take what he could get.

He ran downstairs and had an uneventful dinner with the Dursleys where they talked around him as usual and pretty much ignored his existence, except for Dudley. He was casting him the odd glance during dinner. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd think that Dud looked like he was…thinking!

'I hope he doesn't hurt himself' Harry thought as he laughed inwardly.

Harry shook it off and finished his meal. After supper, he raced back up stairs to his room to try and figure out precisely what Tonks was doing there earlier.

He decided to take a closer inspection of his room and its contents.

When he got to his trunk, he lifted the lid and noticed that there was something there that hadn't been there when he left that morning. Two somethings, actually.

He thoroughly inspected the first object as he lifted it out of his trunk. It looked like a cube of wood three inches in diameter. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that it bore a remarkable resemblance to a muggle rubix-cube. Instead of different colours, they were different types and shades of wood.

He then reached for the note that was with it. As he opened it another one fell out.

'I'll read that one next' he thought.

_Dear Harry_

_I've noticed how bored you've been this summer reading constantly._

He smiled, 'I guess they didn't notice that I have been doing it willingly and not out of boredom.'

_So I thought I'd get you a little something to play with. I was talking to Remus about this and he said he had just the thing. He asked me to give you this along with this other note since he is away on some business for the Order and couldn't bring it himself._

_You probably didn't see me come in and put this here. We're not supposed to have any contact with you so as to give you enough space to live. So I had to sneak in while you were out. Don't' worry, this is the first, and probably only time any of us will be in your room. So if you didn't mention this to the others I would be grateful._

_I hope you're doing well, and hopefully I'll be able to see more of you this summer._

_Tonks_

After finishing the letter he laughed thinking about his state of undress during her visit. 'I don't think _THAT'S_ what she meant by _hopefully I'll be able to see more of you this summer._'

'That answers all my questions as to why she was here. So, me not having written a letter to the order was just a front.' He was impressed by the quick thinking on her part to come up with that. 'This also explains why she got so scared when I joked about telling the order she was here.'

'Let's see what Remus has to say'

_Dear Harry_

_I'm so very sorry I have not been able to come and talk to you personally since the ministry. I feel responsible that this all happened and I'm sorry I haven't been there to help you through it. That being said, I plan on coming over Monday night, if you have time for me, and apologize for the pain that I have caused you. I also need to talk to you about some other things that have happened since his passing. _

_You might or might not have been told, but you were named the major heir of the Black family estates as per Sirius' recently amended will. The exceptions are that he left me some money, and he asked… Actually, I'll let you read the will, and letter he left personally on Monday when I come. _

_The only reason I'm mentioning any of this before then is that I want you to know where that cube came from. When I went into Sirius' vault there was a large box with the words 'Potter effects' scrawled on the side of it. Inside were a number of smaller items that I assume he collected quickly before the fire completely consumed your house that night._

_I know it was given to your father by your grandfather, John Potter, on his 17th birthday. I also remember that your father was never able to solve it, and refused to let anyone help him. _

_I'm giving it to you now in hopes that it helps to cheer you up even a little bit knowing that it belonged to your family, and that Sirius himself wanted you to have it someday._

_You are always in my thoughts and I will always be here for you._

_Love,_

_Remus_

Wiping the newly shed tears from his eyes, he muttered a soft thank you to Remus and looked forward to their visit on Monday. He didn't understand why Remus felt responsible for what happened, but figured it was probably like the guilt he, himself, felt about their friend's passing.

'But it wasn't our fault. It was _Riddle's_!' he reminded himself.

Wiping his eyes one more time, he looked down at the cube in his hands.

'Well, I can't use magic to solve it. The last thing I need is to be expelled for the use of underage magic. With my record I'd be a goner.'

As he started playing with the cube, he let his mind drift to last summer when he fought of Dementors and saved Dudley's life. They had tried to expel him for it!

'Well…not they,' he thought as he continued to twist the cube in his hands 'just him. The Minister of Magic himself. Fudge. What an incompetent, moronic, piece of…. Come to think of it, I wonder what's happening to him now. There's no denying Voldemort's return. I wonder how he'll handle it.'

'I wonder how _I'll_ handle it. I still need to train, to grow, to prepare myself for what I need to do.'

He looked down at the block of wood in his hand and continued to solve it. He remembered playing with one as a child. Dudley got one for Christmas the year he was 7 and tried to solve it for a good month until he got fed up with it and threw at the back of Harry's head as he was entering is cupboard one night.

So Harry had decided to try and figure it out on his own. It didn't take him long actually, only a week and a half. He was so proud of himself that he forgot what the Dursley's were like, when he brought it into the living room completely solved, Uncle Vernon blew a gasket. He accused Harry of stealing it from Dudley after Dudley had worked so hard to solve it and take credit for it himself! He called Harry a deceitful freak and locked him in his cupboard for the whole weekend. He even missed school that Monday because they forgot to let him out, which he ALSO got in trouble for Tuesday morning when they finally DID let him out.

A couple of weeks later they had forgotten all about it again and it founds its way back into Harry's cupboard where he became quite efficient at solving it.

'Ah, finished' he thought triumphantly, 'it's like riding a broom, you neve….what the…" He stopped in mid thought as the cube started to glow, grow and apparently unfold.

Harry was so freaked out by this that he threw the cube against the far wall and drew his wand and aimed it at the object.

It continued to grow and unfold up against the wall it was thrown against. When it had reached 7 feet high, by three feet wide, it stopped growing and a handle appeared on it.

"Wow" he muttered under his breath.

Now he was torn. He two choices as he saw the situation. 1) He could wait till Monday when Remus showed up to ask him if his father even told him what the heck it was and pray the Dursley's didn't come into his room while he was out with Mike.

'Yeah right, not with _MY_ snoopy aunt. She's probably in here everyday already. And I doubt she could resist opening a new door and check out what's in there too.'

Or 2) open it up and hope for the best.

'Well, so much for a quiet, uneventful summer' he thought as he took one last look around the room. Checked the clock, it read 6:28pm.

'That gives me 10 and a half hours before I get up for my jog and go work tomorrow. That's better then nothing' he thought as he reached for the handle.

The handle began to glow softly at his touch and he was filled with a sense of warmth and comfort. Realizing that it wasn't locked, Harry opened the door and looked into the darkness beyond.

'Time to break on through to the other side' he thought, and with his wand drawn he entered into the unknown.

* * *

(1) Magic Carpet Ride: Steppenwolf. 

(2) I Saw Her Standing There: The Beatles.

**AN: **Thanks to the initial reviewers for this chapter: **AP Mom, ****Dreamer43**


	4. A Grandfather's Advice

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is not owned by me nor is the world he lives in. I am but a simpler traveler to someone else's home, taking part in their conversation around the fireplace.

**Chapter 3: A Grandfather's Advice**

Ron had gone back up to his room, after the game of chess to continue his personal training. Over the last 2 weeks he had been able to re-read all his old charms books, had complete the charms book for both grade six and grade seven, and had even re-read that book on Dark arts theories that the cow Umbridge had made them buy. He had also gone through is old potion books and made his own little book of some of the more useful ones that might come in handy in a battle situation.

He had been surprised at the amount of information he had missed over the years. It was too bad he wasn't able to practice the spells, but at least he knew they were out there. When he got back to Hogwarts he would have a whole lot of catching up to do. He planned on impressing Harry with his spell knowledge and fighting skills in the first DA session. That is, if they continued the DA.

Even though Umbridge was gone, it was still the best class he had taken last year. He hoped Harry would continue teaching it. He was good at it. 'Heck, just look at what he did with Neville and Luna? I would have written those two off right from the get go. But Harry had faith in them and look what happened! I bet they're two of the best duelers in the school now.'

Ron smiled at the bravery and tenacity of his two friends as they were fighting in the department of mysteries. Ron had sorely underestimated them, and he knew it. He would apologize for that to them the next time he saw them and tell how impressed he was with them. That could only help their confidence after all, and Ron wanted to do all he could to help his friends support Harry.

'Time to get cracking on some of those new books I got in Diagon Alley.' he thought 'Boy, if Hermione could see me now'

He smiled and cracked the book lying in front of him open.

* * *

Hermione just sat and looked at the picture of Ron, Her, and Harry, and sighed. She missed her two best friends. America was great, and she was having fun and enjoying the sights, but she would be having more fun if they were here with her. 

'Of course that would be awkward.' she thought 'it would take a lot of explaining, and then they would want to know why I had been keeping this from her for so long.' She looked around at the members of her family all gathered together for this vacation.

'I have to tell them.' she concluded. 'I'll do it sometime this year for sure. Then maybe next year they can come with us.'

Little did she know she would have to reveal it to them a little sooner then she would have hoped.

* * *

Dumbledore leaned back in his comfortable headmaster's office chair after completing the final first year acceptance letters for this coming term. 

"Finally done" he said to no one in particular, "and now it's time for a treat."

He reached into his desk and produced a muggle Almond Joy chocolate bar.

As he unwrapped it, he sang quietly to himself, "Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't..."

He was interrupted by a vibration in his pocket. The vibrating item was getting warmer and warmer.

He produced a small pocket watch, flipped open the lid and gasped "Harry..."

He jumped out of his chair, cast aside the sweet treat, and ran straight to the fire place.

"Number 12 Grimmauld place!"as hethrew down the powder, andthen the office was silent once again.

* * *

Having stepped through the door, Harry now found himself in a large foyer. He looked around in amazement as the lights lit themselves and revealed the many items that were displayed therein. He saw extremely old, but well kept, suits of armour lining the walls. Medieval weapons such as swords, maces, spears and the like were also proudly displayed. Two majestic stair cases, at either side of the room, ascended to a second story platform with a few hallways leading away from it. On either side of him were large double doors made out of wood with a coat of arms carved into the front of them. Directly ahead of him, hanging from the second story landing was a larger version of that same coat of arms accented in the finest jewels and trimmed with gold and silver and other precious medals. Below the coat of arms was an even larger pair of double doors. 

"I wonder whose mansion this is" he said to himself quietly

"That would be yours, sir" came a small voice from his left.

Harry jumped, rather startled at the sudden sound of a strange voice beside him. He quickly turned with his wand drawn, and pointed it at the newest arrival.

In font ofhim stood a house elf dressed in fine , miniature red with gold trimmed robes, upon which rested an exact replication of the coat of arms that was hanging from the landing ahead of him.

"It is goods to see Master Potter be coming home, sir."

"What?" Harry asked more confused then he'd been for quite some time.

"Ah, Stewy is seeing that Master Potter does not know where he is. Stewy is sorry for not giving you the proper welcome."

He quickly brushed out his robes with his hands, straightened himself and said with a regal tone and a wave of his hand "Welcome to Potter Mansion, Master."

With this newest revelation still ringing in his ears, Harry did the only thing anyone finding themselves in his particular situation would do. He fainted.

* * *

The young man picked up today's copy of the Daily prophet again for the hundredth time. 

_Death Eater's sentenced_

_Avery, Crabbe, Dolohov, Jurgson, Lestrange(Rudolph), Macnair, Mulciber, Nott and Rookwood were all convicted today for treason against the magical community and being death eaters. They were given life in Azkaban. Their team leader, Lucius Malfoy, was also convicted and as one the inner circle of He-who-must-not-be-named and received a dementor's kiss immediately after the verdict came back as guilty._

_Minister Fudge's new stance on you-know-who' return was the result of the evening that the afore mentioned death eaters were captured He plans on making a public apology to whole of the magical community two nights from now, where he is also said to be presenting a plan of action on how best to deal with the threat._

And again he was filled with rage. What had happened today in that courtroom was not justice. If there were justice in this world, then pure blooded wizards would be running it, not being imprisoned and kissed for defending what was right. Mudbloods were destroying the wizarding world filling it with muggle impurities. The number of wizarding homes with elect-reece-city, or whatever, was enough to make a wizard sick. And now, one of the greatest advocates and leaders for pureblood ruler ship, his father, had been kissed.

Draco still remembered his father's face that day. Distain, determination, hatred.

He watched as the verdict was rendered.

He watched as the dementor approached his father.

He watched is fathers eyes contact his and with a look of determination ask his son to avenge him.

He watched as those eyes went vacant as the soul of the proud man was sucked from him.

He watched as his fathers form slid from the grip of the beast and crumble like a hollow shell to the floor.

And at this he vowed. He vowed to take his father's place at the right hand of the noble wizard whom his father had served, the Dark Lord.

He vowed to continue his father's dream and to take vengeance on the one responsible for his fall.

He vowed to destroy Harry Potter and all those he held dear, as he had done to Draco.

Now sitting at home, with his mother mourning in solitude, he sat alone.

All he had to do now was wait. He would be summoned soon and then he could start his service.

But for now he must prepare. He would go downstairs and practice in the room his father had enchanted for him so that he could practice his spells without the meddling of the ministry. He would practice long and hard so that when the time was right, he would be ready.

He rose from his chair and started to make his way out of the room. Stopping at the fire place, he looked down again at the picture of his father in the paper and then he threw it in the fire. He watched as the flames slowly engulfed the paper.

"Goodbye Father. I will not disappoint you. You shall have your vengeance."

He closed his eyes, turned and walked away.

* * *

Harry's eyes began to flutter open 

"Master? Is you ok?" Came a small voice.

As his eyes opened and began to focus, he looked around and realized that he was lying in the entrance hall of a large mansion.

'Wait a sec' he reminded himself 'not just any mansion, MY mansion.'

He slowly got up with the help of the house elf by his side.

"Stewy is happy to see that Master is ok. Stewy is so bad for having surprised master like that." At this the house elf let go or Harry and started to bang his head on the wall. "BAD STEWY, BAD STEWY" he repeated as he continued to pound his head against the wall.

Harry finally realized what was happening "Stewy STOP! Come here!"

Stewy stopped and slowly started over towards Harry with a look of worry on his face. When he got beside Harry, he closed his eyes and flinched anticipating the blow he thought was to come.

But Harry didn't strike him. Instead, he got down on one knee in front of Stewy and placed a hand on his shoulder. Stewy looked up and his eye's met his masters'.

"Stewy" he said sternly, yet compassionately "I want to you promise me that you will never punish yourself again. We all make mistakes and we should never fear them. We should learn from them so that we don't make the same mistake again." Harry smiled warmly and added "It's a lesson I myself am in the process of learning."

Stewy couldn't believe this. He knew that Master John Potter was a kind man, but he had never hoped that his next master would be just as, if not more kind then him. He still remembered his first home and always feared the kind of treatment he received there.

"And another thing" Harry added "Don't call me 'master'. My name is Harry, and I want to you call me that. I would much rather have a loyal friend then a servant who feared me."

Stewy's eyes widened "Master Harry is as kind as Master John was. Stewy never thought there could be another master as kind as Mater John." He said with a big smile.

"You knew my grandfather?" asked Harry "And please, just call me Harry."

"Oh yes mas...I mean Harry." He corrected himself "He was very kind man. He bought me when I young from a wizard family who hurt Stewy a lot. He brought him here and treated him like a servant and not like a slave. He was very kind to Stewy, and Stewy liked him very much."

"Well Stewy, I've never had a house elf before. I've never had a servant of any kind. I promise I will do my best to not only treat you as a servant, but also as a friend. If that is alright with you."

Stewy's eyes lit up even more "Harry Potter is the greatest wizard of all time. Stewy would be honoured to be his friend."

Harry laughed "you sound like Dobby. Please, just call me Harry."

Stewy's eyes changed from happiness to surprise "Mas...Harry knows of Dobby sir?"

"Yes." He answered. "Dobby is my friend. I helped free him from his last masters when I saw how bad they treated him."

"You...freed...DOBBY?" Surprise melting into pure joy.

Harry started to become confused "Yes...do you know him?"

"Yes sir" he said excitedly, "When Stewy said he came from a bad wizards house, he didn't tell you which one, sir. Stewy is coming from the Malfoy's house." He paused "Dobby is Stewy's dad, sir." And with a tear forming in his eye he added "Master is freeing Stewy's father." At this Stewy broke down and started crying tears of joy and hugged Harry with all his might.

Harry smiled and hugged him back. "You'll be able to see him again, he works at Hogwarts and I'll be going back there in September. You will be coming with me."

At this Stewy sobbed even louder. Stewy hadn't left the house for years now and had had no idea that Dobby had been freed. He looked forward to September almost as much as he looked forward to serving such a good man as Harry.

He separated himself from Harry and wiped his eyes, still smiling. "Master John is asking me to do one last thing for him before he left. Master is telling Stewy to be giving this letter to the next person that is coming in here, sir. Master thought it would be his son, James, but you is not James. But you is a Potter, and you is the next person in here, so Stewy is giving you the letter."

He handed Harry a rolled scroll sealed with red wax and imprinted with that same emblem that he had seen repeatedly since he came in here.

"Stewy, what is this crest?" he asked as he pointed at Stewy's chest.

"That is the Potter family crest sir. It is master's family's coat of arms, sir.

Harry smiled. "Thank you Stewy."

Harry stood up, walked over to the steps, sat down and broke the seal. The parchment suddenly started to transform in Harry's hand and transfigured itself into a one foot high, three dimensional, paper man in long robes bearing the Potter family crest and messy hair. It started to hover in front of Harry and then spoke.

"Hello son,

"As I cannot see who I am talking to, I assume this is James Potter in front of me. If it isn't, and I am actually talking to someone else, then I apologize. My name is John Potter and this..." the animated paper doll said as he wave his arms around in a broad motion "is now your home."

"As I am under the assumption that James would be able to figure out how to get in here, I am going to continue addressing you as such. Again, if I am mistaken, I am sorry, however the information contained here in will still be of value to you, so I ask that you listen.

"Potter Mansion was created 30 years after the completion of Hogwarts by Godric Gryffindor as a wedding present to his daughter, Ester Gryffindor, and her husband, William Potter. Since then, it has passed down the line of Potters, the father presenting it to his eldest son upon reaching his 17th birthday.

"Potter Mansion has always been a place of refuge for our family. It has, occasionally been used as a home, but most often it is used as a retreat. You might remember it from when we went to Egypt that summer you were 14. It was, of course, disguised as a summer home, but I know you felt the connection to the place at that time.

"Since it is such a powerful artifact, the Potters have decided to keep it a relative secret over time, not even revealing it to their children. The Wives always know about it, as it was a gift from a wife's father, as do a few close friends, but it has always remained a secret. Due to this secrecy, and power, the fathers would hand the cube to their son on their 17th birthday, vowing never to return to it again unless invited by the son, but also not telling him exactly what it did. All they told their son upon presentation of this gift is that it was a very ancient family heirloom that is to be passed on to their oldest son upon his becoming of age.

"And so it has, through generations. Not every son was able to open it, some never even bothered trying, but everyone that has, has left their mark here in the form of a journal of their lives, and a wizarding portrait in Potter Hall.

"I now ask you to do the same my son. I know you'll probably invite your school friends in here, young Black, Lupin and Pettigrew. And, if I'm not mistaken, young Lily is probably with you right now as you listen to this, as I have seen you two become inseparable over the past year. Just so you know son, I approve. We potter men have always had a thing for redheads" he added with a grin.

"This concludes the required bit. I just want to finish this off on a more personal note. James, I don't know when you are going to figure this cube out, or even if you will. I don't know if I'm still around for you, or if I have, as one of my old friends once said, moved on to that next great adventure. But no matter what state I am in, I want you to know how proud I am of you, and how much your mother and I love you. You will always have our support in everything you do, because I know what you believe in, and I believe in the same things. Thank you for becoming the son that I always dreamed of having.

"And as for that girl standing beside you, tell her how you feel if you haven't told her yet. Don't' deny it. I can see how you look at her. It's the same way I looked at your mother. If I have to leave you with only one piece of advice it would be this: You never know which of your words to someone are going to be your last. Never put off telling someone you care. All it can do is build them up and make them stronger knowing that they have someone there who loves them.

"Again, if this isn't James, and it's my grandson, or great grandson, the same advice goes to you. If I am still around, then you know how much I care and how I have always been there for you. If I never got a chance to meet you, then I'm truly sorry. I would have loved to be there to watch you grow and shower you with love and attention as all grandparents should. Unfortunately, that is not always possible, especially in these dark times. But please rest assured that you still have my love, and the love of all the Potters that have come before you. We have never abandoned one of our own, and I pray you will always remember that.

"If this is not a Potter at all, then my greatest fear has come to pass. The Potter line has ended. Cube will not respond to any but a Potter, until there are none of us left. At that time it will be open to the first wizard who is able to solve it and become joined with their family line. If this is the case then I only pray that you sir, or madam, are a light wizard, and you would remember the noble house of Potter and use the items you find in this house to serve the side of light.

"This concludes my letter. The words I have spoken can be found on this sheet of parchment after this animation spell has ceased, so that you may refer to it whenever you like. Thank you.

"I love you James.

"Goodbye."

Then the paper returned to it's normal form as it slowly drifted down to the flour.

Harry remained there, teary eyed at his grandfather's confession and wishing he would have been able to know the man. He mentally thanked his grandfather for the advice he shared, and asked him to help him find the strength to actually do it next time he saw his friends.

He wiped his eyes and started to stand. He saw Stewy standing there expectantly, waiting for Harry to give him something to do.

Harry smiled at Stewy. "Thank you. I had never heard my grandfather's voice before."

"You is most welcome Harry. Is that meaning that Master John is dead sir?" Stewy inquired with a note of sadness in his voice.

"I'm afraid so Stewy. I'm sorry you couldn't find out sooner. I'm not sure how he died. I've never really asked anyone about it."

"That is ok Harry. Master John Said Goodbye to Stewy before he left." He answered with a tear in his eye.

Harry got up again and placed a hand on Stewy's shoulder in a gesture of support.

"I'm going to go back to my room outside now so that I can go to sleep for the night, I have a long day tomorrow and I need my rest. I'll come back as soon as I can and if you don't mind, I'd like to hear about my grandfather. I never got to meet him and I would like to know more about him if that's ok."

Stewy smiled and nodded "Stewy would be happy to sir."

Harry then started towards the door, but was stopped by Stewy's voice as he was about to reach it.

"Mas….Harry. It is tradition, Stewy was told, to prepare a feast for the new master when he first comes for him and his father and grandfathers if they are still alive. Stewy knows that Master John is not here anymore, but if Harry wants he can bring other guests, like Mater James. It will be tomorrow night at 7pm"

Harry wasn't sure how to answer this, but he tried anyway "Stewy, My father, James, is also dead. He died when I was just a baby, and so did my mother. I'm sorry you've been in here for so long and didn't know what was going on outside. Next time I come I'll try and fill you in on what has happened since you've been here. Maybe tomorrow night at dinner."

"Stewy is also asking Harry's permission to leave the house to go and buy things that are needed."

"Of course Stewy. You never have to ask my permission to get things that are needed. Come to think of it, when is the last time you left this house?"

"Not since Master John was still being here. Master gave Stewy a day off to go out before master gave the cube to his son." Explained Stewy.

"You've been in here for..."Harry paused to count in his head "over 20 years?" asked an amazed Harry. "How have you survived?"

"Stewy is having no problem surviving. There is much preserved foods, and with magic greenhouse and garden attached, there is always being fresh vegetables and fruits for Stewy to be eating."

"There's a garden and greenhouse?"

"Oh yes. Potter mansion is very big. You will see tomorrow when Stewy takes you on official tour after feast." Stewy added "Stewy is wondering how many other wizards and witches mas...Harry will be inviting to the feast?"

"Gee Stewy...I don't really know if I'll be inviting anyone."

"That is ok Harry. Stewy will make enough for 10 anyways. Then Stewy will have leftovers for himself. Master John always liked leftovers. Master John said 'he didn't like things to go to waste, unless it was his waist.'" Stewy laughed at this little joke. "Master John had to explain that joke to Stewy. Master John was a funny man."

Harry laughed more at the explanation then the joke itself, but enjoyed the brief insight on his grandfather sense of humour none the less.

"That would be great Stewy. I'll see you tomorrow night at 7pm then." Harry said as he left his mansion to go back to his hole.

**

* * *

AN:** Thanks for reading. All comments, questions or queries are welcome, and I hope to continue posting in good time. I have the next 2 chapters pretty much finished…but the future beyond them, looks bleak. I will, of course, continue my mission to write these. Hopefully I'll keep up with the demand. ;) 

Thanks to my original reviewers for this chapter: **AP Mom, Kitinu, Goldilocks31890, Nikams**

Keep reading and reviewing. Tanx again.

Farfumsane


	5. Confessions

**Disclaimer:** I am not the creator of this world. I am merely one frolicking in it's lush meadows.

**Chap 4: Confessions**

Harry exited Potter Mansion still holding his grandfather's letter, still unsure if all this was really happening.

The door closed behind him as he made his way to the bed. He looked at the clock '7:04, I was only gone for about half an hour. Not bad.'

Sitting on his bed he tried to sort through all information that he had just learned.

This was his grandparent's house. All of the possessions that they wanted to pass along to their child was in it. Not only that, but it had been in his family for generations. I could be traced back to shortly after the founding of Hogwarts itself. All of his ancestors' most prized possessions were in this house.

"Wow" he muttered again for the second time today.

Then another thought hit him.

'If my ancestor married a Gryffindor, then I have Gryffindor blood in me too. That means: I'm a descendant of Godric Gryffindor.'

Thinking back to his confrontation with Riddle in second year, he started thinking bout how Riddle was not only the descendant of Slytherin, but also his Heir.

'So does that mean I'm the Heir of Gryffindor? It would make sense. I did pull his sword out of the sorting hat after all.' Harry thought about it some more, but then came to the conclusion that whether or not he was the Heir of Gryffindor was irrelevant, he _WAS_ the one who'd stop Riddle either way so he decided not to dwell on it. He would ask Dumbledore some time. Until then, he had to figure out what he was going to do with his new home.

'This is so cool! I have a whole mansion to myself. But is it safe?' he wondered.

'I'm supposed to stay here on Privet drive this summer so that the magic here can protect me...'

It was at that moment when his door flew open and he saw a very panic strickened Dumbledore.

"Sir?"

"Harry? Are you ok? What happened?" he asked frantically

"...yes...sir...I'm fine..what's wrong? I've been in here all night"

"In this room? But the watch has never been wrong before."

"Watch sir? What watch? Was someone on watch?" Harry asked, with a little more confusion, it that was possible. He had never seen the headmaster this distraught, this...concerned.

He was worried. But why?

"I'm alright sir. Nothing's wrong. Are you alright?"

Dumbledore continued scanning the room for some sign of what had happened until his eyes fell on the door.

"I've never seen another door in here before. Where did it come from? Where does it lead?"

"Oh, well...you see, sir. It kinda leads...to...Potter Mansion." He said hesitantly.

"Potter Mansion?" Asked a bewildered Dumbledore.

"Yes sir. You see, Tonks and Remus thought I was bored this summer, so they brought me this puzzle cube from Sirius' vault that used to belong to my father. When I solved it, it started growing, glowing and unfolding into this door."

Dumbledore looked confused and a little concerned, but allowed Harry to continue.

"When I touched the handle, it started to glow and I felt...comfortable...like I was...home. So I opened the door and went inside."

He proceeded to tell the headmaster about Stewy and then he handed him the letter that his grandfather had left.

The headmaster read the letter and chuckled "Oh John, I always knew you had a secret."

"You knew my grandfather, sir?" Asked Harry.

"Yes Harry, I knew him. We fought together in the war against Grindewald. We always wondered why he spent so much of his free time in his muggle tent. Now I see he was probably more comfortable then the rest of us in our wizarding ones." Then he smiled sadly to Harry "He was a brave man and a true friend. I'm sorry you never got a chance to meet him."

The headmaster seemed to allow his memories to get the better of him for a split second but his twinkle slowly returned as he focused his attention back onto Harry.

"To answer your question Harry, the watch that I mentioned is very similar to the clock that the Weasleys possess. I got the idea last year to make some of my own to 'watch' out for certain members of the Order, and you of course" he said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. "I thought it would be a better way to keep track of your movements, and at the same time give you the space you needed to live your life. That is one of the reasons you haven't seen many guards this summer. We patrol at night, and have someone with you when you leave the property during the day, but on the whole, I watch out for you myself with this." And he produced a small pocket watch from his robes. There was a picture of Harry in the background and a hand that presently pointed to #4 Privet Drive. Some of the other areas of the clock were Gryffindor tower, Hagrid's hut, with Mike, mortal peril, lost…etc.

"As you can tell, some of the settings are just temporary and will change when you get back to school, such as 'with Mike' but on the whole I have found it very handy. So you can imagine my concern when I thought you were home and the clock alerted me that you were 'Lost'. Apparently I shall have to add 'Safe place' to the clock now." he added as he smiled again.

"But sir, how is it you know I'll be safe in there? I thought I couldn't leave Privet drive or I wouldn't be protected by it's magic." asked Harry

"You see Harry, Potter mansion is much like the Room of Requirement at school from what I can tell. It exists in a space in another dimension, but is still considered to be part of the building that it is opened in." he explained. "It is it's existence in the other dimension that allows it to have so much space, but still be able to fit in this building. That is the reason that the Room of Requirement can adjust so easily in size and shape, it too is strongly linked with this other dimension. Now, the Room of Requirement is still considered part of Hogwart's grounds and as such carries with it the same magical defenses that the castle itself possesses."

"So what you're saying is that if I open Potter Mansion up inside Hogwarts, I will be as safe inside it as if I were in Hogwarts itself."

"Exactly. And as such, you are still protected by the charms on your aunt's house when Potter Mansion is opened here."

"Ok, I think I understand. What happens if I open up my mansion while I'm in the room or Requirement? Will I have double the protection?" asked Harry

"NO! Never do that!" Dumbledore replied adamantly "You cannot open a dimensional space within a dimensional space that is less powerful then the first. The effects of this happening would be disastrous."

"Disastrous? What do you mean by disastrous?"

"Opening Potter Mansion inside the room of requirement would cause a magical explosion that would quite easily level Hogwarts and probably most of the dark forest and Hogsmeade with it."

Harry turned white at the thought of all that destruction. "But why, sir?"

"It's hard to explain Harry." The Professor sat thoughtfully for a second "The best analogy I can use is that of magnetism, not that it is completely accurate, but I think I'll be able to get the main message across using it.

"As you know the earth is surrounded by magnetic fields. The north and south poles are the two opposite forces. Magnets work along the same principles. When you put the south end of a magnet near the north end of another magnet they attract, right?"

Harry nodded. He remembered playing with magnets in his science classes in the muggle school before going to Hogwarts.

"What happens when you try to force two north ends together?"

"They repel." Answered Harry confidently.

"Exactly, and as you know, the more powerful the charge, the stronger the force that tries to separate them." He continued "Now think of our world, the prime material plane, as the north end of a magnet. The south end is the other plane, the magical plane. Magnetism and magic are very closely related you see, very similar forces. Our world is connected to that one, and they are attracted to each other."

"Ok...I think I get that, but what does that have to do with the explosion?"

"I'm getting to that. Magic is more powerful then magnetism, and as a result keeps itself hidden much easier to those who do not have the power to notice it. It is in each and every person in one form or another and affects us all, as with magnetism. However, not everyone has enough magic in them to notice it all around them. That is the difference between wizards and muggles."

"Now" he continued "Imagine opening a north end of a _magic_ magnet INSIDE the north end of another _magic_ magnet that wasn't as powerful as the first. They are still two separate magnets, they do not meld together, and the first one literally blows the second one apart as the most dominant of the two. Now imagine if those _magic_ magnets were really large and powerful connections between both worlds, like the Room of Requirement and Potter Mansion. Potter Mansion is by far the more powerful of the two, but the room of requirement is also quite powerful."

"Oh." Harry said as he finally started to understand "that would be the magical equivalent of a muggle bomb."

"Probably more like the magical equivalent of a muggle nuclear bomb. The whole blast area would be either completely dead to magic, extremely unpredictable, or have areas of both. A simple levitation spell might not work at all, it might work properly or it could result in a killing curse or something like that. Not to mention the effect it would have on a wizard's body. Since magic flows so freely through us, it would be like magical version of radiation."

Harry just sat there realizing the destruction that he might have caused had he opened it there by mistake this year.

"I must also warn you, Harry, that the Room of Requirement is not the only dimensionally linked room we have at Hogwarts. It will not be safe to open your cube up just anywhere in the castle."

"Thank you for the warning professor"

"Just so you know, the dormitories are safe, and so is your common room. The great hall is not safe and neither are any of the classrooms as they all have ties to the other dimension in order to be able to grow in size. I would ask you to promise me NOT to open it anywhere other then your dormitory unless you get permission from me, personally, first." He added

"Ok professor" replied Harry "Professor, you said that this happens if a larger dimensional space is opened in a smaller one. What happens if a smaller one is opened in a larger one? What if I were to open Professor Moody's trunk up in Potter Mansion. Would it also cause an explosion?"

"No. The larger space is able to adjust, and grow itself in order to accommodate the smaller without any ill effects." answered the Headmaster.

Harry nodded in response.

"Well, now that that is all sorted..."he reached into his robes and produced a small bag. He offered the opening of the bag to Harry and asked "Lemon drop?"

Harry smile and accepted placing one of the sour candies in his mouth.

Looking, again, at the door, professor Dumbledore said "I imagine this could be most beneficial for you this summer."

Harry looked at him with a curiosity "Sir?"

Besides the obvious of not being cooped up in this small room and actually getting decent meals, Harry couldn't figure out what the Headmaster was alluding to.

Dumbledore turned and smiled at Harry "Being that Potter Mansion is in another dimension, there is no way that the ministry can detect you doing magic in there." He said with a twinkle in his eye.

At this Harry's lips contorted themselves into a smile as well. 'This is PERFECT!' he thought. 'it's exactly what I needed.'

"Not to mention the hours of fun you will have exploring the house and discovering what your family is really like. I'm sure there will be many books in there about the Potter's family history. I dare say you might also find many books that have long since been lost to our world or even classified as dangerous. I would ask you to use what you learn in there wisely."

Harry nodded, finally realizing the true potential of what lied in front of him. The ancient spells he might find to use against Tom, the knowledge about his family's past that he craved, the place of his own that he always wanted and the ability to do it in his time and at his pace with no one telling him when or how. A home.

"Now that I see you are alright, I should get going and give you time to explore this new world you have discovered." He rose and started to make his way to the door.

Harry thought for a second, and decided to listen to his grandfather's advice.

"Sir, I was wondering if you would join me for dinner tomorrow evening. Stewy said that he will be preparing me a welcoming home feast and I'd like to share it with at least one of the people in my life that I consider to be my family." Harry had always thought of him as family. Even when he was mad at him, he could not deny the love he felt for the man before him.

He turned back to Harry and looked at him surprised at his heart felt admission.

Harry continued, a little embarrassed, but determined to tell the Headmaster the truth "I never knew my grandfather, but if I had, I would have wanted him to be like you." Slightly embarrassment at his sudden emotional confession, he lowered his eyes and gazed at the floor at his feet.

The old man smiled deeply.

"It would be my pleasure."

Harry finally looked up and smiled "Thank you sir."

"John was one of my dearest friends, and I can think of no better way to honour his memory, then to be there for you since he cannot." he added.

And Harry noticed that the old man had a small tear forming right next to his trade mark twinkle.

Then he came over and did something that Harry was not expecting, the Headmaster gave Harry a hug. Harry smiled to himself and returned it with just as much emotion.

After separating Harry said "Dinner will be tomorrow night at 7pm"

"I shall see you then" he replied as he turned and left the room.

After Dumbledore had left, Harry got ready for bed. After all, he had an early start tomorrow.

'Yes' Harry thought to himself, as he crawled into bed 'this has been a good day.'

* * *

Ginny finished her latest letter to Dean, and deciding to send it off tomorrow, folded it and set it aside.

She left the letter on her desk, got up and was about to start getting herself ready for bed when she heard the distinctive creek of a hallway floor board. She slowly, and quietly, made her way to her door and took a quick peak out into the hall. She just barely saw Ron as he descended the stairs out of view.

'Probably just going to the kitchen. That boy is always hungry.' she mused as she decided to join him. She could use a nice cup of tea before going to bed. 'Besides, this might give me another chance to try to figure out what's going on with him.'

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she noticed that Ron was nowhere in sight. She looked around, but saw no sign of him. She knew he couldn't have snuck past her and made it back up to his room, which means there's only one place he could have gone: outside.

She crept to the door and opened it slowly. She saw Ron making his way around the house to the back yard.

'Where the heck is he going?' She wondered to herself.

She followed quietly. Growing up with Fred and George had taught her the value of stealth. She had caught them more then once in an attempt to set up a prank to get her.

As she looked around the corner she saw her brother...dancing? It almost looks like a form of ballet except for that thing in his hand. 'Is that a baton? What the hell is he up to?'

She moved in for a closer look.

To her shock, he was not dancing, and that was not a baton. It was a sword and he was going through motions with it that look very fluid and well practiced.

'So this is what he's been hiding.' she thought 'but what about all those books. They can't _all_ be about fencing and swordplay. Well, there's one way to find out.' she concluded as she slowly turned to make her way back to the door.

Once inside she snuck back up the stairs and into Ron's room. She looked for the books, but couldn't see them anywhere. Then she remembered the twins telling her about the great hiding place they had found when they used to live in this room.

She walked over to the corner of the room, found the loose floor board and opened it.

'I mean really. Who would try to hide something under a loose floor board. The people they were hiding things from would have to be pretty dense not to think of looking for something like that.' she thought to herself.

Inside where a pile of books. There were some on cursing, defense, group battle tactics, fencing, and even one on animagus transformations.

'What the heck is he up to?' She thought as she grabbed the book on animagus training and proceeded to sit on Ron's bed. 'I guess I'm just gonna have to wait and ask him myself.' she concluded as she opened the book and began reading.

* * *

Ron continued his exercises totally unaware of the recent coming and going of his guest. He liked this. The movements, the rhythm, they were relaxing. He was able to think and focus on the many thoughts in his mind.

'I wonder if Harry could teach me occlumency.' he pondered as he continued his well rehearsed routine. 'It would be good to help me focus and hopefully help me to organize my thoughts a bit better. It might even help me with my strategizing. To be able to push everything else out and just focus on what's in front of me could most definitely be helpful.'

After, he had finished he made his way back into the house. Upon reaching the landing he noticed that his door was slightly ajar and there was a light on inside. He slowly unsheathed his sword, a katana, and started to prepare himself for what he might find.

'Wait a sec. I'm in the burrow. There are so many wards around this place alarms would be blaring if it was a death eater. I have got to learn not to over react.' he chided himself

He re-sheathed his sword and opened the door cautiously.

There, on his bed reading one of his books, sat Ginny.

She noticed him there and spoke first "I didn't want to disturb you while you were practicing, so I decided to come up here and wait for you to finish."

"Ginny?" started Ron, not angry, but at the same time not overly impressed with her "where did you get that book from? This is my room and you shouldn't go snooping around in it."

Ginny just looked him straight in the eye and answered him as if _she_ was the one who had been wronged "Well Ron. Since _you_ wouldn't tell me what you were up to, I figured I had to find out on my own. How long have you been doing that?" she asked, nodding towards the sword.

"Oh no you don't. You're not going to change the subject. This is my room, and these are my things." His voice started to rise in anger, but he quickly kept it in check as he remembered that everyone else was in bed. "How would you like it if I thought up some half witted excuse and used to go snooping around your room while you were out?"

"Maybe if _you_ weren't so pig headed and secretive about it I wouldn't have had to. We could have been working together. Didn't you think I'd want to learn this stuff too? Seeing as how in the last few years I have faced almost as much as you have, I would think you'd want to help me better defend myself." she scolded him with a harsh whisper.

"How is it that you sneak into my room, go through my things and I'm the one who gets in trouble for it?" he asked, not backing down.

She realized her defeat, and so relented and conceded "Ok, fine. I'm sorry I went through your things. You're right, it's hard to have any privacy in this house and me going through your stuff doesn't help any."

"That's better. I'm sorry too for keeping you out of this. I should know better by now. I'm still trying to look out for you, big brother and all."

"I know, and I wish you'd stop"

"I know. It's just hard. I just don't want anything to happen to my little sister. You're the only one I got." he said with a smirk and proceeded to mess up her hair with one hand.

"_Hey!_" she said as she swatted his hand away.

"If you really want to join me for this, I guess that would be alright." he said, still grinning.

"You really don't have much choice in the matter anymore." she replied with a grin of her own.

"I'll be getting up at seven tomorrow and going out into the woods to read and practice. If you want to join me be ready then."

"Ok" she smiled, turned and started to exit the room.

"Gin" said Ron, a little hesitantly.

She stopped and turned her head to look at him

"I just wanted to let you know...at the ministry...that night..." he sputtered, a little embarrassed and trying to find the right words "Well...you fought really good...and your loyalty to Harry and your friends...I just wanted to say...you...you surprised me...and...I'm really proud of you."

Ginny turned a little red, and smiled.

"Thanks Ron."

"Goodnight"

"G'night" she said as she closed his door behind her.

When she got back to her room, she slipped into her bed. She smiled to herself as her head hit the pillow, remembering Ron's words, and went to sleep.

**

* * *

AN: Thanks to my reviewers for this chapter. ****Frog1, javierr55**. Thanks to my reviewers for this chapter. . 


	6. Facing the Past

**Disclaimer:** Unlike the original idea and characters for Harry Potter, this story has been produced in the recesses of my mind, and not that of J.K.Rowling.

**Chap 5: Facing the past.**

The day had gone by quickly for Harry, too quickly actually. It was his final day of working with Mike and he had hoped it would have lasted longer.

They had completed the roof earlier that afternoon and had just finished cleaning the yard when Mike broke the silence.

"Listen Harry, I wanted to thank you for your help this summer. I know that this is probably the last time I'll be seeing you for a bit and wanted to get you a little something."

Mike then produced a small box from behind his back and handed it to Harry.

"Think of it as a combination thank you and birthday present."

Harry opened it. Inside he found a discman, a few spare batteries, an AC adapter, a good set of head phones and a pair of miniature speakers.

"Thanks Mike." said a gracious but confused Harry. "but I haven't got any CDs to play in it."

"Sure you do" Mike replied as he produced the small CD wallet they had been using all summer and tossed it to Harry. "These are all copies of my original ones. I didn't want to damage them while I was working outside. I thought you might want them since I certainly don't need them anymore. I hope you like the stuff we've been listening to." he added as an after thought.

Harry's original smiled deepened "I've loved it! Thanks again."

They then gathered all their things and loaded them into Mike's truck.

After they got in, Mike started the truck and turned to Harry. "Of course, it won't work for you at Hogwarts, but I'm sure it'll help keep you distracted at the muggles' place."

"P…pardon?" Harry stammered out doing nothing to hide his disbelief.

"Yes Harry. I know who you are." admitted Mike.

Harry wasn't sure how he should feel about all this. Should he feel betrayed? Should he be thankful for the time away from his problems? Mike had not treated him like the worthless waste of space that his 'family' had, but at the same time he had not gawked at him for being The-boy-who-lived either.

Harry, gathering his thoughts, turned to Mike "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did." responded Mike with a chuckle.

"I mean sooner, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well...I know the kind of life that you've lead. In one world you're treated like a freak with no worth and in the other you're a celebrity, one of the most popular wizards in the world. To be honest, I didn't know how to act around you at first. You had just lost your godfather and were kind of quiet. I remembered how tough last summer was on you with Voldemort's return and the stuff that happened..." his voice trailed off thinking it better to avoid the tournament results.

"How do you know about Sirius and what do you mean by you 'remembered' from last summer?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"I'm in the Order Harry. This year Dumbledore wanted to give you some space after what happened but when he started getting letters from your friends saying you were cutting yourself off from everyone, he decided that it would be best if you were with at least one person who would talk to you civilly. He asked me to approach your uncle and offer to do his roof for cheap. We figured that you'd spend at least some time outside instead of staying inside with them all summer and that would give me a chance to see how you were doing and maybe even talk to you a bit. Neither of us were expecting that your uncle would tell you to help me out. Well, least _I_ wasn't. It ended up being an added bonus."

"Ok, now back to my original question: Why didn't you tell me sooner? Were you not _allowed _to?" he asked curtly as his anger at being deceived was starting to show. 'Dumbledore had promised no more secrets. Why hadn't he told me? Why did he have to keep this from me? You think he would have mentioned it when I was looking at the watch or something.' he thought to himself angrily.

"No. That was my fault Harry. Dumbledore doesn't know that I haven't told you yet." admitted Mike guiltily.

"What?"

"After the first couple of days, when I found out you'd be working with me till I left, I went to Dumbledore and asked him how I should proceed. He told me that I should tell you, but he left the when up to me. I was going to tell you the third day, but you had seemed to enjoy the music and conversation so much that I didn't want to take a chance and ruin it, so I just put it off. Needless to say, I just kept putting it off. I have to admit my behaviour was selfish. I had come to enjoy working and chatting with you so much that I was seeing the time I was working with you as a personal escape for myself. I could be a muggle for a few hours a day and not have to worry about the war or my duties. You were such good company and I didn't want to change the way you interacted with me. You're a great young man Harry and I have come to know you as that and not just The-boy-who-lived. I'm sorry for keeping it from you."

Harry's anger had dissipated slowly as Mike spoke. He found himself silently agreeing with Mike and thanking him for the way he had handled it after all. Harry himself had enjoyed his time with Mike for the exact same reasons and was glad that Mike had done it the way he had.

"It's alright Mike. This has easily been the best summer I have ever had at the Dursleys' thanks to you and I shouldn't have reacted like that. The 'normalcy' of it was what I liked too. To think that this morning I was disappointed that I'd never see you again, but happy that you didn't have to deal with Voldemort, I see my concerns were completely backwards. Thanks for everything Mike." he said as he extended his hand and gave Mike a firm hand shake.

"Could we, possibly, continue going to the gym 3 nights a week? I could tell the Dursleys' I'm going to help you clean up other sites and stuff to keep 'em off my back." asked Harry.

"That would be great Harry." Mike responded with a smile.

They continued to talk on the way to Mike's place, which wasn't too far away from Privet Drive. Once they got there Harry and Mike sat down and continued talking over a couple of butter bears.

Harry learned that Mike was a muggle born wizard and he had married a muggle, a childhood friend, and so had settled in the muggle world. He had been approached by Dumbledore a couple of years ago after the Quiddich Cup incident and was asked if he wanted to join the Order. Since he knew his family would be a target due to their muggle born and muggle status he agreed and began working with Dumbledore occasionally that year. In the summer his and Mrs. Figg's place were the two primary locations that the Order had used to keep tabs on Harry. Mike's wife was a manager of a local clothing store and was due home any minute, so Harry decided to stay and meet her before going back.

After a brief introduction and a couple of minutes of conversation, Mike and Harry left for his place. When they got back to number 4, Mike handed Harry an envelope.

"This is more then enough to cover the damage to the car. Trust me, I know. So give this to Vernon." He then produced another envelope and handed it to Harry. "This is for you to buy yourself some new clothes."

Harry was about to protest but Mike stopped him. "What I've just given you is exactly half of what I made doing the two roofs. Since you did half the work, you get half the money. No arguments."

At that Harry again thanked Mike and made plans to go to the gym on Monday.

Upon entering the house Harry pocketed his envelope and went straight into the kitchen where his uncle was sitting and reading the paper. Handing his uncle the other envelope he said,

"This should cover the car. I'm done working with Mr. Walthers for now, but he'll be coming to get me a few times a week to help him do some odd jobs on some of his other sites."

"Humph" was his uncle's only response as he picked up the envelope on the table and opened it. "I don't want you out in public you little freak. Now go to your room and write a letter _them_ saying you're ok. We'll call you down for dinner."

"Don't bother tonight." replied Harry "Mr. Walthers took me out for something to eat on the way home to thank me for working with him."

Uncle Vernon eyes narrowed as he noticed the package that Harry was carrying. "What's that, boy?"

"Mr. Walthers bought me a discman for all the work I did with him this summer since he knew I wasn't going to be able to _keep_ any of the money." replied Harry, possibly placing a little too much emphasis on the word keep.

"Why you little MOOCH! I can't believe you'd trick a hard working man like Mr. Walthers into buying you things. Just for that you WILL be working for him whenever he needs you this summer, and you will NOT be getting any money for it. I will talk to him personally and make sure he doesn't pay you a cent since he's already given you enough! Now go to your room and I better not see you till tomorrow!"

At this Harry left the kitchen with a sly grin on his face at having manipulated his uncle once again. 'This is too easy' he thought to himself as he made his way to his room.

It was now about 5pm. Once in his room he decided to do a little exploring before the Headmaster got there for dinner. So he opened the door and entered his home.

* * *

Ginny was exhausted. Ron was a slave driver during training.

They had started the day with a 'short' 2 mile jog through the woods that Ron informed her was only half of what he normally did saying he was starting her off easy. After that they proceeded to do some more stretching and then spent the next 3 hours reading. Then there was the hour of sword work after which they jogged back to the Burrow for lunch.

That afternoon they were degnoming the garden for their mother when Ginny decided to asked the question that had been on her mind since the previous night.

"Ron? Why are you doing this? Why all the training? I know we keep meeting up with dangerous things and all, but we're still in school. We'll have plenty of time for this once we graduate."

"You don't have to join me if you don't want to. I'm not making you do it." he answered as he hucked another gnome over the fence.

"I know that, Ron, and I'm not complaining. I want to do it. I'm just asking _why_ we're doing it."

Ron looked at Ginny appraisingly. She wasn't the 10 year old girl on the platform waving goodbye to him on his first day of school anymore. She had been through a lot and due to their family's allegiances she'll probably see a lot more before this was all over.

He decided to stop treating her like the child he had always taken her for and answer her honestly. After all, isn't that what he wanted his parents and the Order members to do with him?

"I'm tired Gin. I'm tired of being useless. I'm tired of not being able to help. I'm tired of being dead weight." Ginny was about to protest when Ron stopped her by raising his hand and continuing. "Every year since I've been at school, Harry has gotten himself into something involving Voldemort, and every year he's come out on top. I don't think this is coincidence. Harry has a destiny and though I don't know exactly what it is I know it has to do with Voldemort and I'll be damned if I'm not at his side and ready to face whatever it is that he has to do. He's always been there for me and has saved my life more then once. He's my best friend and I refuse to let him down when he needs me most."

Ginny was amazed to see the change in her brother. He had matured far more then Ginny had thought possible. The lack of fear in his eyes, and voice, over what was ahead of him was nothing short of inspiring. All she did was nod at his response.

"You said his name." Ginny pointed out with a small smile.

"A very smart person once told me that 'fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.' " he said, and then his face reddened slightly.

'Well, he's handled his fear...now if he could only start sorting out his other emotions.' she thought knowing full well who he was quoting. She had also been in Flourish and Blotts the day it had been spoken after all.

Ginny smiled widely at her brother. She knew that he truly trusted her to be able to tell all this and it only seemed to reinforce what he had confessed to her the previous night. He was proud of her and the fact that he had included her in this meant more to Ginny then she would ever admit to her over protective brother.

"So what do we do next, captain?"

Ron smiled at his sister and responded. "I thought that this afternoon we could start with a few exercises for animagus transformation. We won't be able to make the potion till we go to Diagon Alley, but we can at least start with some of the other exercises. Things like elongating fingernails, fingers themselves and other physical and mental exercises that they suggest that don't require a wand. If that's alright with you?"

"Sounds great." replied Ginny as they continued with the garden. They spent the rest of the time discussing what animals they thought they'd be and talking about their next excursion to Diagon Alley.

* * *

Harry entered Potter Mansion to find an attentive Stewy standing there waiting for him.

"Can Stewy get anything for Harry?"

"Um...Stewy...can you give me a tour of Potter Mansion?" Asked Harry looking around and realizing that to search it all himself would take forever.

"Stewy is going to be doing that tonight after supper if that is alright with Harry? The masters asked Stewy to send Harry to see them if you come early. If Harry would like, Stewy can bring him to see the masters now."

"The masters?" asked Harry.

"Yes sir, the pictures of the masters of Potter Mansion. They is asking Stewy to bring you to them. Would Mas...Harry like to go now, sir?"

"Uh...sure. I guess that would be fine." Replied Harry, not exactly sure what he was getting into.

"If Harry would follow Stewy then, Stewy will show Harry to Potter Hall." Stewy turned and headed for the large set of double doors directly in front of them and opened them.

Inside was a large room about half the size of the great Hall at Hogwarts. In the middle was an equally large table surrounded by chairs. At the moment, each chair had a portrait resting in it and they were all murmuring amongst themselves. Each portrait was equal in size, and all frames were an identical, amazingly ornate, dark polished holly wood. The only chair that was empty was at the head of the table. It was much larger and more majestic then the others, also made out of holly wood yet with red velvet cushioning and precious jewels inlaid in the woodwork.

Harry had no sooner entered the room, then the portrait to the right of the empty chair cleared his throat. All the portraits became silent and turned their attention to the doorway. The painting that had got everyone's attention then spoke.

"Welcome Harry Potter to Potter Mansion. My name is John Potter and I am your grandfather. Please come and sit, and the rest of these, some of your more distinguished ancestors, can introduce themselves as well." he said and smiled.

A speechless Harry made his way to the chair at the head of the table and sat down. He noticed that every person in each of the portraits were sitting in a chair identical to his, save for one. And all but that one also had the same background.

"Before we begin Harry, would you like Stewy to get you something? A drink perhaps?" asked his grandfather's portrait.

"Yes...yes sir. Pumpkin juice please." Answered Harry, still having problems taking in his surroundings.

Stewy promptly bowed and made his way out of the room.

Light streamed in from a large picture window behind him. He took a quick look over his shoulder, curious as to what the magical dimension looked like, but what he saw surprised him more then he had expected. Portrayed in the window was the majestic sight of Hogwarts. The sun was high in the sky and shining bright enough to fill the entire room with light.

"It's an enchanted window. It shows whatever scene the owner of the house wants shown. This was my favorite view, so it's stayed that way since I left." John explained.

"We will start the introductions with myself, and work our way back through time to the previous owner and so forth until we reach the beginning. After that, Harry, it will be your turn to tell us about yourself and what you have gone through in your life. All of our deeds can be read in the Patriarchs' Diaries and so we won't bore you with them at this meeting. So we'll begin. I, as I mentioned, am John Potter. Your grandfather."

The next portrait spoke up and then the next in turn. The order after John is as follows: Petrius, Matthias, Joseph, Thomas, Earnest, David, Wolfric, Frederic, Horass, and the original owner, William Potter. After all the paintings had introduced themselves, he noticed that the one to his immediate left, which also happened to be the one that was different from all the others in appearance, had remained quiet.

John spoke up again. "As you know from the letter, William was the first of the owners of Potter Mansion. And it was a gift to him from the man in the portrait to your left."

At that, the proud looking man in that portrait stood "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Godric Gryffindor." said the portrait as he bowed to Harry "It is always a pleasure to meat my most recent Heir."

Harry, still a little shocked at this most recent revelation, composed himself and address all present.

"Thank you all very much for your welcome. This is all rather new to me, and it might take a while to sink in. This is the fist time I have ever heard of being the Heir of Gryffindor, so please forgive my surprise."

At this the room exploded in murmuring. "Didn't know?" "What did his parents teach him" "Irresponsible" "Unheard of" and more off handed responses.

The Portrait of John cut through the crowd, and silenced everyone. "Harry, what did your parents tell you about your heritage?" He asked.

"Well sir, I never knew my parents. They died protecting me when I was a year old."

You could have heard a pin drop. All the portraits started looking rather guilty about their recent outburst and accusations.

It was during this awkward silence that Stewy appeared and presented Harry with a pitcher of pumpkin juice and a glass.

"Master Harry," said Godric "Perhaps now would be a good time to give us the story of your life. It is a quarter to 5. That gives us about an hour and change to hear your story before you have to get ready for the feast. Would that be alright?"

"Yes Sir. I'll try to cover it all in that time."

Harry proceeded to tell them everything. From his parents' sacrifice in Godric Hollow, to first year with Quirrell, to the chamber of Secrets (at which point he noticed Godric smiling and giving him a proud nod), to his part in Sirius' escape, to the Tri Wizarding Tournament, then last years events and hs trip to the ministry: everything. Letting it all out was strangely releasing for Harry. He found himself going on and on, telling them everything, not leaving out the slightest detail, not able to stop and not sure he would even if he could. By the end he felt lighter, freer even. He finished his tale with:

"And then I walked through the door and found Stewy who explained where I was and gave me my grandfather's letter."

The reactions across the room varied. Some were saddened at the struggles in Harry's life, some were angry at the way he had been treated, some were happy that he had found his way here, but one reaction was common among all of them. They were all tremendously proud of their Heir.

"Harry," said Godric "I'm sorry to say we took a little more time then we thought we would. It's approximately 6:30 now. Stewy will show you to your room and you can dress for the feast this evening. I know you'll be dining alone, well, with us, "he said smiling "but it is tradition that you dress for the occasion, as will we."

"Actually, sir" started Harry

"It's Godric, Harry. My name is Godric. We are all on a first name basis here. We are your advisors and if you'll have us, your friends. There is no need for titles or formalities with us."

"Ok, thank you. You see, Godric, I wont be alone. I invited someone to join me. The current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, will be here at 7. He has been like a grandfather to me since I was eleven and I only thought it appropriate to have him present."

"Very good, Harry. That is fine. You better be getting ready then to meet our guest when he arrives. I, myself, am looking forward to meeting him and to thank him for all he has done for my Heir, and my school." said Godric with a wink.

Harry smiled and excused himself.

Stewy brought him up to the second floor to a very large and majestic bedroom. In the closet, which was half the size of the room itself, were literally hundreds of robes. From formal dress robes, to work robes, to battle robes and more.

"This is the master bedroom Harry. Stewy will be leaving you to get dressed and finish the feast. When Harry is being ready, just wait in the main entrance with Harry's guest and Stewy will be coming out to bring you into Potter Hall with proper introductions."

At this Stewy disappeared leaving Harry to fend for himself within the sea of robes.

He knew he didn't have much time so he started right away looking for one he thought would look good on him. He found a bunch of Green ones and thought this was as good a place as any to start. After about 5 minutes of looking he came across a very elegant emerald green robe. It was of a very old design and was trimmed in gold. The cuffs, also trimmed in gold, had emeralds set in them. After choosing his robe, he ran out of the closet and made his way to the shower.

After 20 minutes he was dressed and ready to go. He made his way down to the entrance hall and went into his old room to wait for the arrival of his guest.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore arrived in Harry's room at the Dursleys' shortly before 7 and they entered the house together.

Stewy met them there and escorted them across the entrance hall and into Potter Hall. He opened the doors and announced his guests and they made their way to the two open seats at the table.

"Albus, it is good to see you again old friend." said the painting of John.

"That it is old friend. And it has been a long while indeed since I have found myself in the company of such a distinguished group of gentlemen." The Headmaster said as his eyes made his way around the table to look at each painting in turn. Every man in each of the portrait had the same bushy black hair, whether it be long or short, except for the last one. The Headmaster also noticed that this last portrait was different from all the others in size and appearance. His expression seemed to change slightly and a small look of surprise started creeping to his face.

Godric smiled "As I'm sure you have guessed, Headmaster, I don't exactly seem to fit in with the others do I?"

"But that would mean.." Dumbledore's expression of shock remained, but along with it came a large smile. "My Lord, I wasn't aware that there was ever a wizarding portrait made of you?"

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore, I would expect no less deductive reasoning from someone who has been deemed fit to run my school. You are correct. There never were any _other_ wizard paintings made of me as it was a relatively new art at the time and very expensive for the materials necessary back then. This was the only one. And it was made as a gift to me on my 100th birthday. After my death my daughter inherited it and, for the sake of my descendants, placed it in this house."

"This is a most unexpected surprise and might I add an extreme honour." said the Headmaster bowing to the portrait. "It became a custom after you passed that a portrait of the Headmaster would be painted and left in the Headmaster's office to help the current Headmaster in anyway possible. Unfortunately this practice only came into being with the Headmaster who replaced you. If it would be possible, when young mister Potter returns to school, I would very much like to bring you to the office so as to let the other Headmasters meet you, if only for a few minutes. If that would be alright with you."

"I would be honoured Headmaster."

"Albus, Please." replied Dumbledore.

When the meal appeared, Harry noticed that Stewy had really out done himself. It was a feast that could rival even the feasts of the great hall for selection, though on a smaller scale.

During the meal, both Harry and Albus talked with the various paintings. Harry learned much about his heritage, and Albus even learned some things about his school from its creator.

Some of the other paintings admitted to having counterparts out in the world outside, and had visited them on occasion, but most did not and so lived here in the mansion. They each had several paintings within the mansion itself, excluding Godric. One of them even had a portrait at Hogwarts, though not in the Headmaster's office. It was also noted that that was one position that had never been held by a Potter.

As the evening drew to a close, the portraits began excusing themselves and retreating to their other paintings until just John, Godric, Harry and Albus were left.

"Albus," began Godric "I would like to thank you for all that you have done for young Harry throughout his life. Though I can't say I understand all of your decisions, I do know that they were made with his best interests in mind. You and your descendants will always have a friend in the Gryffindor-Potter line. All you need to do is ask."

"My thanks Godric." he replied as he rose and bowed. Then, turning to Harry he said "My thanks for your invitation, Harry. This has been a most enjoyable and educational night." he said with a smile. "If it is alright with you, I would like to come with Remus on Monday when he comes to visit you. I would very much like to talk a little longer with Godric once I have had a chance to look over some of my notes about the school and its defenses. If that is acceptable to you."

"That would be great Professor." replied Harry.

"Harry, when we are alone, or out of school, you may call me Albus. You have more then earned my respect, and I would have it no other way. But if you'll excuse me, it is getting late and I am an old man." he said with that twinkle in his eye. "Good evening Harry" and then turning to both Godric and John in turn he said his farewells.

"Good evening Albus" replied Harry "and thank you for...everything." he added with a large smile.

Harry then called Stewy to escort the Headmaster out.

After Albus' departure, Godric turned to Harry.

"Harry, after you left this evening to go get ready, the other portraits and I spoke about your situation and decided something. If you will agree, we would like to train and tutor you for the rest of this summer. You have a tough road ahead of you and we would like to help prepare you for that journey any way we can.

Harry didn't have to think about it for long, "I would be forever grateful. What kind of things would you be able to teach me?"

John decided to answer this one. "Each of us had our strengths and weaknesses. So we will be focusing on what we did best in life and pass what we know about it on to you. You'll be learning a full assortment of skills from spell casting and potions to fencing and etiquette."

"Etiquette?"

This time it was Godric who responded. "Yes Harry, etiquette. It is important to know not only when to act, but how to act so that your goals can be achieved as easily as possible. Proper etiquette will not only help you at formal functions but also in dealing with others, especially the press."

"and the girls." added John with a wink.

Harry turned a bright shade of red at the thought of his grandfather giving him advice on women which made the two portraits present burst out into laughter.

"Don't worry, Harry. Etiquette also helps you with self esteem. It amazing how much more confident you are in a situation when you know you are behaving appropriately." said Godric. "and now the hour is getting late so we shall excuse ourselves. Stewy is anxious to give you the tour of the house tonight still, so we should let him get on with it before you fall asleep."

Harry agreed and called for Stewy.

"Be here tomorrow night at 7pm again. Stewy will prepare supper for you at which time we'll discuss your schedule for the rest of the summer." said Godric.

After their final goodnights, Godric and John left Harry in Stewy's care.

Harry quickly found out that Potter Mansion was much larger then he had thought. Apart from the originally large layout of the mansion, each owner had a room of his own that came into existence the first time he entered the Mansion. Harry's tour started in his room.

The room was a bare 30'x30' space with is name, Harry James Potter, engraved on a plaque on the door. It was the first door in the 'Master's Wing'. Beside his was John's and so on. This room would be left as a memorial to him. He would decorate it as he saw fit as he continued to live here and after his passing this is where one of his portraits would hang, or so Stewy explained.

He was then shown each master's room. They were all the same size, but each one had it's own personality that mirrored that of it's owner during their lives.

After the Masters' Wing, Stewy brought him to the library. It was huge. If Harry had to guess, he'd say it was twice the size of Hogwarts' but just as well organized. It had a fire place with comfortable chairs in front of it, four study tables and in the middle of that area was a podium with a very large book on it.

"This book," explained Stewy "is a magical listing of all the books found in the library. Stewy was told it is called the Reference Tome. All Harry has to do is look up what he wants, and all books about it are listed there. To get the books, all Harry has to do, is touch the titles written in this book with his wand and the books that Harry wants will be coming on the table over there for Harry. When done with the books, place the books on this empty shelf and they will be being put back on their own. Any questions, read the front of the Tome and it will explain."

After the library, they were brought to the training room, the den, the war room, the games room (which had a gorgeous Holly wood pool table with deep Gryffindor red felt in it), the second dining room, living room, a _very_ large greenhouse which looked more like a glass domed park, the potion brewing room, the potions supply room (that out did even Snape's in both size and variety), several guest rooms with attached baths, various supply rooms with so many different items that Harry was doubtful he'd need even half of them, the kitchen and finally, a room of Requirement of his own.

By the end of the tour, Harry was torn between extreme excitement and extreme exhaustion. It had been a long day, and remembering that he had a long day tomorrow with Tonks and training he decided to call it a night.

Harry told Stewy goodnight and returned to his room at the Dursleys' were he had decided to sleep in case Tonks arrived at _another_ inopportune time. But tonight didn't bring him the restful slumber that he had been getting used to over the past week.

* * *

**AN:** Just wanna shout out to all my reviewers for this chapter: **Goldilocks, John, and Potter Reader**.

Farfumsane


	7. Moving Out

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of the original world in which I am writing. I am merely adding my own spin onto someone else's top.

**Chap 6: Moving Out**

Harry stood there, looking up at the building before him as it was consumed by flames with a feeling of grim satisfaction. The old fashion, quaint country home was now, almost, completely engulfed in the fire he had started.

Lying on the ground before him he saw one of the house's inhabitants huddled into a ball, sobbing in pain. Looking around he saw some of the other broken bodies of the people who once lived here. There to the left was the corpse of Arthur Weasley, just behind him was Molly's, and over by the door was Ron's crumpled and charred form.

His attention turned again to the whimpering mass in front of him and he spoke in high pitch voice.

"I'll ask you just one more time Miss Weasley: Where is Harry Potter?"

She raised her face to her assailant. It was covered in ash and blood. There was a small cut running the length of her jaw and he could see her eyes were completely blood shot.

"I'll never tell you, you monster." She said defiantly as she spit a mixture of blood and saliva at her interrogator.

"I warned you young one." Then he raised a boney hand and pointed his wand at her. "How many more people will have to die for young Harry, I wonder. _CRUCIO!_"

* * *

The pain ripped through Harry's body as he was thrown from his bed screaming.

"THAT'S THE LAST STRAW! I'LL NOT HAVE MY SLEEP INTERUPTED BY THAT FREAK AGAIN. I'LL GIVE HIM A REAL REASON TO SCREAM!" He heard his uncle's voice bellow as he slowly came to his senses.

Reaching his hand up to his throbbing scar, he was shocked to find that there was a thin stream of blood dripping from it.

'What am I going to do? I can't get out of here, but I have to tell someone. I have to get a message to Dumbledore!'

He heard his uncle's foot steps getting closer and coming to a decision; quickly ran to other door in his room. He had been told that only he and the ones he invited could get into Potter Mansion and right now, he hoped they were right.

Both doors opened at the same time. Harry saw his uncle lunge at him as he dove into the mansion. Door closed behind him and couldn't even hear the results of his uncle's attempts to open it without his consent.

* * *

Stewy promptly appeared in the hall.

"Stewy was not expecting Harry this late, is there anything Stewy can…" Stewy's voice got caught in his throat as he noticed the pale, blood marked face of his master. "Is Master alright?" Asked a panicked Stewy.

"Stewy, I need you to do something for me. You need to go to Hogwarts and tell Professor Dumbledore that the Burrow has been attacked. Tell him I saw it, I saw it all…" Harry's voice trailed off thinking about the carnage he had just witnessed. Harry looked over to see the worried face of Stewy still standing there. "NOW Stewy, I need you to go NOW!"

Stewy's face betrayed his surprise and fear at his master's tone before he quickly disappeared with a soft pop.

Harry didn't know what to do. The grief of what had happened had now totally consumed him as he thought again about the fallen forms of his friends and family. Arthur and Molly, not even 5 feet apart lying on the ground with vacant eyes. Ron's blackened form as the burnt door frame collapsed on him. And Ginny…poor Ginny. She had already suffered so much, and this was all his fault.

Harry started wailing uncontrollably as he curled himself up into the fetal position on the floor of the hall. It all came back to him now as the tears fell. Cedric dropping to the ground, Sirius falling through the veil, the Weasleys, the only family he'd ever known lying lifeless and broken around the charred skeleton of one of the few buildings that Harry thought of as home.

He cried. And he continued crying until sleep overtook him yet again and he remained curled up and unconscious on the cold marble floor.

* * *

Uncle Vernon watched as the door slammed shut behind Harry.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, BOY. YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!" He yelled as he reached out to grab the handle.

When he touched the handle, he felt a jolt of energy pass through him and he was thrown across the room into the opposing wall leaving the plaster cracked and falling off.

Petunia screamed from the doorway of the room at the sight.

Vernon got up and shook his head. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME, YOU _FREAK_?" He raged as he got up and stubbornly made his way back towards the door. He grabbed the handle, yet again, to try and force his way in. This time, however, the surge of energy that entered his body not only threw him across the room, but also rendered him unconscious. The last sound he heard was another shrill scream from his wife as she made her way across the room to where he had landed.

* * *

Stewy didn't know what to do. He didn't know where Hogwarts was. He hadn't been out of Potter Mansion for a long time, and he had only ever been to three other places, Malfoy Manor, that filthy auction place and the elf side of Diagon Alley. The house elves were not to be seen when their masters were shopping, and so the elves had a back alley that ran parallel to Diagon Alley with special entrances to the shops so they could get what they needed for their masters without being seen. How was he supposed to find Hogwarts?

He decided to start at Elf Alley. He popped in and started frantically searching for anyone who could help him. There was no one. After about 5 minutes of searching he came across another elf. This elf was dressed in many visually clashing but extremely colorful articles of clothing right down to a pair of mismatched socks. This elf would normally be shunned by house elves because he was wearing clothes and had obviously angered his master into releasing him, but Stewy was desperate.

"Please be excusing me sir elf, but I is needing to help my master. I is needing to get to Hogwarts to talk to Headmaster Dumbleydore. Please." It was custom amongst house elves that if you, for some reason, needed to speak to a free house elf that you would not use your name to show them that they had been cut off from house elven society due to their disgrace.

Dobby saw the desperation and fear in his eyes. This elf needed his help and even though he hadn't addressed Dobby with his name, he knew it was just years of prejudice shining through. Dobby could even remember teaching his own children those rules not so long ago, so he could hardly hold it against him.

"I is knowing were Hogwarts is" replied Dobby, keeping to custom so as not to place this frightened young one on edge. "Follow I and I will be taking you there." He said and extended his hand to the other elf.

The younger elf took Dobby's hand without any hesitation. His master must be good to him for him to be so willing to accept the hand of a 'disgraced' elf. Very good to him…or else very bad to him.

They appeared together in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. "I will go to be seeing if the Headmaster is available. Who should I tell him your master is?"

"Potter, sir. Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter is in trouble? I is being right back." Said a frantic Dobby as he disappeared again.

Not even a couple of seconds passed when a frantic Dobby reappeared and grabbed Stewy's hand. Before Stewy could object, they appeared in the headmaster's office.

"Headmaster. Harry is needing you sir, it is very urgent. I is being told to come and get you immediately sir. It is being urgent."

"Thank you Stewy, I'll be there shortly. Go and see to him." Replied a worried Dumbledore.

"Yes Sir." Said Stewy right before he disappeared.

"Stewy?" Whispered Dobby to himself before he, himself disappeared.

Dumbledore went over to the fireplace and flooed to Grimmauld place.

* * *

Dumbledore arrived at headquarters and ran into the kitchen to see what was going on. Inside he found Molly talking to a very ragged looking Remus Lupin.

"Quick, where's the portkey to Harry's room." asked Dumbledore with some urgency.

"Over on the shelf where it usually is." replied a very concerned looking Remus Lupin. "Why? What's wrong? What's happened?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"I'm coming too." said Remus as he began to rise from the table.

"Remus, you're still too weak. You haven't fully recovered yet from your last meeting. You'll never survive the full moon coming up if you don't rest. Molly, make sure he gets some rest. And don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can to fill you in on what I've learned." replied Albus.

Remus looked as though he was about to object when Molly cut him off. "Oh No you don't. You've been through enough lately. I'm sure Albus can handle this." She said forcefully as she sat Lupin back down in his chair. Then turning to Dumbledore with concern etched into the features of her face. "You will come get us if there's anything we can do to help won't you?"

"Of course," assured Albus "I'll be back as soon as I can. Now I must go." he added as he took hold of the BBQ prongs and muttered the activation word.

* * *

Harry awoke in a small bed in the entrance hall to Potter Mansion to find Dumbledore learning over him with his hand on his shoulder. Panic started to seize him again and he began to sputter.

"Professor...the Burrow...fire...Weasleys..."

"Calm down Harry, calm down. The Weasley's are ok. They are staying at Grimmauld place right now as the wards around their house were being strengthened. They just got there today, so Voldemort would not have known they left. Calm down my child. Tell me what you saw."

Relief swept through Harry. They were ok. He hadn't got them killed or worse...poor Ginny. Wait, no, they were ok. Dumbledore said they were ok.

"I saw...I saw through Voldemort's eyes. The burrow was burning...Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both dead and so was Ron. Ginny was being tortured by me...I mean Voldemort. It was awful. I could...feel...her pain through the link." he said. He would have wept anew had it been possible, but he found himself out of tears.

"It's alright Harry. They're ok. I just talked to Molly personally before I came over. They're fine. I am under the impression that Voldemort is once again trying to lure you into action so as to capture you. In the very least he is trying to make you feel guilty for something that is NOT your fault." he said as he engulfed Harry in a hug worthy of Molly herself. "None of this is your fault Harry."

Harry returned the embrace with the same intensity and let the warmth of the moment work its way through his body, calming him.

"Thank you, sir. I know…but sometimes I forget." he said as he slowly made his way out of the bed. "How did this bed get here anyways? The last thing I remember was lying on the floor."

Then the quiet figure in the corner spoke up. "Stewy was coming in to find master lying on the floor. So Stewy is making a bed and levitating master into it so he would be more comfortable."

Harry smiled slightly at the thoughtfulness of his new friend, and then suddenly remembered the way he had treated him when last they spoke.

"Stewy, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was scared, and I know that's no excuse or anything, but would you please forgive me for treating you that way?" asked a sincere Harry.

Stewy was more then a little bit surprised by this. No wizard had EVER apologized to a house elf for his behaviour, how should he react?

"Of…of course master. Stewy is happy that master is ok."

"Stewy, I told you to call me Harry. I'm sorry that I upset you, but I'd still like to be your friend."

Stewy smiled and approached Harry. "Of course Harry is still Stewy's friend. Stewy was just worried that he had made Harry angry and was trying to be a good elf."

"You are a good elf Stewy and I am very lucky to have you." he said as he knelt down and placed a hand on Stewy's shoulder.

Stewy just continued to smile and nodded.

"Now that this has been sorted out Harry, is there anything else you need of me?"

"Actually sir…Albus, I was wondering something. I didn't realize it at the time since I was a little preoccupied, but as soon as I entered Potter Mansion, my scar stopped hurting. What do you suppose that means?"

"I'm not sure Harry." replied Dumbledore with a contemplative look on his face. "You might want to do some research as to the particular defenses of Potter Mansion. It might have some sort of Occlumentic shielding of it's own that filters out that type of attack. If that is the case, you might want to sleep in here from now on." he said with a smile as the twinkle slowly returned to his eyes.

Then Harry remembered why he had so quickly entered Potter Mansion in the fist place. "Uncle Vernon! Is he ok? I remember him lunging for me as I dove into the mansion. He was yelling since I woke them up and….well…he was saying some things about what he'd do to me for it." he finished, his face covered in shame as if he was the one who had done something wrong.

The twinkle and smile quickly vacated the now angry visage of Dumbledore. "Harry, you are not to feel guilty for that. Has he done anything to you before? Anything to 'teach' you a lesson?" Then a little softer, but with no less concern "has he ever hit you Harry?"

Harry look up at the headmaster's face. A single tear ran down his cheek. That was the only answer Dumbledore needed. He quickly rose from Harry's side and made his way towards the door. "I'll be right back Harry. I have to go 'talk' to your uncle. Don't worry. He will _NEVER_ touch you again!"

Harry was suddenly filled with fear and dread. He remembered his uncle's beatings. He hadn't hit Harry since he got his letter, that was another reason Harry loved Hogwarts. He assumed that it was in a vain effort to make him un-magical. Of course, that doesn't answer the question of why he hit his wife. But that was a whole other story.

Stewy brought some freshly baked muffins in to Harry along with some warm milk to help him rest. Harry accepted them, and was halfway through his first muffin when Dumbledore came back into the room.

"He won't hurt you, or anybody, ever again Harry." Dumbledore said somberly.

"Wha…what did you do to him?" asked Harry, concerned for his uncle, but not quite sure why he should be.

"Nothing as drastic as he deserved, I'll tell you that much." said Dumbledore with a fire in his eyes the likes of which Harry had never seen before. "I cast a simple curse on him. Anytime he raises his hand in anger towards someone else intent on harming them, he will be filled with a pain equal to the intensity of his anger until he either calms down, or passes out from it."

"Than...thank you." Said Harry sheepishly.

"Harry," said the headmaster as he placed his hand under Harry's chin and gently raised it so that they were looking each other in the eyes "I am truly sorry for what you have gone through. I know this is no excuse, but I didn't know it was going on. Had I known I would have taken you from this place long, long ago. Please forgive my blindness." begged the old man. Harry noticed the pain in his eyes, the sorrow at the abuse Harry had suffered, and the guilt at knowing it was his fault.

"I forgive you." replied Harry, not knowing what else to say. Then it was Harry's turn to console the man in front of him, and he reached out and drew his 'grandfather' into an embrace of compassion and forgiveness.

"Thank you Harry." replied Albus as he patted the young man in front of him on the back. "Thank you."

"Are all of your things in the Mansion?" asked Dumbledore

"No sir"

"Well, let me accompany you to your room where we will collect them, and then Stewy can bring them to your bedroom in here. After you are all packed, and the cube folded up again, we will depart for Grimmauld place. Protection or no protection, you will _NEVER AGAIN_ set foot in this house. Not if I can help it. Once at Grimmauld place, we will open up the mansion again, and you will stay in here for the remainder of the summer. I will attempt to place additional wards, with Godric's help hopefully, around headquarters, and with the wards that already exist, it should be sufficient to keep you safe till the start of term."

Harry smiled at this. Finally his life long dream was coming true. He was leaving and he never, _EVER_ had to return.

After moving all his belongings into his Mansion, and consulting Godric's portrait as to how to close the cube, Harry returned to his room at the Dursleys' for what he hoped was the last time.

Taking out his wand, Harry tapped the door three times and said "complico" (1) at which time the door folded in on itself and once again became a disorganized cube.

* * *

Dumbledore had suggested that Harry's presence at Grimmauld place be kept a secret since he'd be staying in Potter Mansion and he didn't want everyone to know of its existence. Harry had agreed, and so after pocketing the cube, he put on his invisibility cloak and took hold of the BBQ prongs portkey with Albus.

They arrived together in the kitchen at Grimmauld place to find it bustling with life. Harry saw Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Ginny and smiled. He had believed Albus, but seeing them made him feel better none the less. In the kitchen were also Remus and Tonks.

'Shoot! Tonks! She's supposed to be meeting me today in half an hour. I better find a way to let her know where I am.'

While he was thinking, he didn't notice Ginny quickly look up and scan the room as if looking for something. Satisfied that what she was looking for wasn't there she went back to her breakfast.

The plan was that Harry would make his way out of the room, and up to Sirius' bedroom where Dumbledore would be up in an hour to meet him. This was to give Harry a little time around his godfather's things alone before having to face someone. But they had both agreed that this was the one room in the house that no one entered, and so was the best room in which to set up the door.

Harry noticed Tonks look up at the clock, excuse herself, and make her way out of the kitchen. Harry followed her and as soon as the door closed he grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth.

"Shhhh. Don't make any noise. It's me, Harry."

She slowly stopped her struggling and he released her. In a harsh whisper she said

"Where are you?"

He slowly removed his hood and exposed his face.

"Is that an invisibility cloak? Man Harry, you're full of surprises." Then getting serious "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at number 4? Does Dumbledore know you're here?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. One at a time. And maybe we should move somewhere less...conspicuous? Come with me in Sirius's room. I'll explain everything there." said Harry as he replaced his hood and made his way up the stairs.

Once they were both in the bedroom, Harry closed and locked the door. He then removed his cloak.

Looking around the room he was drawn back the last time he was in here. He had had so much fun last Christmas with Sirius. Laughing and Joking. His Godfather had been filled with joy and there was the spark of hope in his eyes that he might have a good, full life despite the trials he had faced.

And now the room was empty and void of life. Harry looked around and saw the room was in disorder. Things were just thrown about, as if the occupant had left in a hurry and just grabbed his essentials. Then it dawned on Harry that that was probably what had happened. The last night Sirius had been here was the night he went to the ministry to help his godson.

Harry's mood became downcast and his eyes were covered in a thin sheen of tears. He felt Tonks' hand on his shoulder offering silent support.

_It wasn't your fault._

'I know.' thought Harry 'I know. But that doesn't make it hurt any less. I just wish he was here still with me. Laughing and playing pranks on people.'

_True, but you can't dwell on it. He'll never be truly gone. He will always live on in your heart and in the hearts of those who knew him._

Harry smiled and nodded to himself. 'Thanks again. I needed that.'

_Anytime._

"Thanks for being here Tonks. I'll be alright. It was just a little overwhelming at first."

"No problem Harry. So...you wanna tell me what you're doing here now?" She asked with a smile on her face. Harry turned slowly and made his way over to the couch at the other end of the room and sat down.

He proceeded to tell her about the dream and the conversation with Dumbledore. He omitted his uncle's reaction, but still told her about the abuse from before and Dumbledore's reaction to said abuse.

"And that's why I'm here now."

"Ok...so why all the secrecy? What aren't you telling me?" Asked Tonks suspiciously, knowing full well he wasn't telling her everything.

"I...I...can't tell you just yet. Please believe me, I want to, but I have to sort a few things out first." Harry looked at her pleadingly.

She looked away in mock aggravation "oh no...not the eyes! Fine, fine. I'll let it slide for now." She said as she began to frown "Does this mean our shopping trip is off?"

"What? No way!" Replied Harry with a smile. "It's just been postponed a couple of hours."

Tonks smiled too, and got up quickly. "How much time do you need?"

"Well'" thought Harry "Dumbledore will be up here in about 45 minutes. I should probably give him an hour or so to talk about arrangements, so about 2 hours?"

"It's a date. I'll be up here again in a couple of hours." she said. Then she bent down quickly and gave peck on the cheek, then turned and walked out the door leaving a shocked and rather red Harry in her wake. Stopping at the door she turned seductively to Harry.

"Wow Harry, you're pretty red there. Now we're even." she said as she promptly stuck her tongue out at Harry, smiled, walked out the room and closed the door behind her.

'That's what she thinks!' He said with an evil grin replacing the embarrassment on his face. 'Little does she know, this means war!'

* * *

While waiting for Dumbledore to arrive, Harry worked on solving the cube again since it magically mixes itself back up when you close it. He was one move from finishing so he put it down. Dumbledore said he wanted to make sure that this room didn't have any dimensional links before Harry opened his mansion in it.

So now, with time on his hands, he started looking around the room. Clothes were thrown about everywhere, items were scattered all over the shelves, and floor. As he looked around he remembered how much of a slob Sirius was and he smiled to himself. Looking through the closet, Harry found some muggle clothes that would fit, so he changed and threw Dudley's cast offs in the corner, vowing to burn them when he had access to his mansion and could do magic.

Walking over to the shelf, Harry noticed a few books, he grabbed the one entitled 'The Auror's Bible' and sat back down on the couch and started reading.

About half an hour later Dumbledore walked in. He cast a silencing charm on the room and a couple of other spells that Harry didn't recognize, and said that the room was safe. They then decided to open the cube in the closet on the off chance someone did come in. At least then, the door wouldn't be in plain sight.

Harry completed the cube, and the door opened without a problem.

Thinking it wise not to worry Dumbledore needlessly, Harry told him that he and Tonks were going out into muggle London today for some shopping. Dumbledore reluctantly agreed, but only under the condition that he wear a portkey at all times that could be activated by a word and would bring him back safely and quickly to this bedroom. He then presented Harry with a shoe lace, and told him he had enchanted it. Harry agreed and Dumbledore left him to wait for Tonks.

Tonks was due in about 15 minutes, and Harry had yet to think of a way to get her back for her latest attack in the embarrassment war they were fighting. Running out of time, Harry decided to gamble at Tonks' not having learned her lesson the first time, and so stripped down to his boxers when another thought crossed his mind. He ran over to Sirius' dresser and started searching quickly. He found what he was looking for, a pair of shorts that were practically the same colour as his skin. He then made a mad dash to the Mansion and yelled out for Stewy.

"Stewy, thank goodness I found you. I don't have much time."

"What is it Harry, what is wrong?" asked a worried Stewy.

"Nothing's wrong Stewy, I just need you to do me a favour. I need you to shrink these shorts that I'm wearing to make them look like I'm not wearing any. But not too tight." he added with a grimace. "I'm trying to embarrass a friend of mine, and I don't have much time left."

"Ohhhh." smiled Stewy "Stewy likes a good joke. Ok Harry. Just stand still" Stewy then cast an incantation that made them very snug along the back side, but roomy enough in the front so as not to cause pain.

"That's PERFECT Stewy, thanks." laughed Harry as he ran back out into Sirius' room. He made his way to the mirror and waited for Tonks' arrival.

As he had anticipated, the door opened without a knock and in walked his unsuspecting victim

"Harry, why didn't you tell us you were he..." the voice trailed off and got quieter. Now it was Harry's turn to be in shock. Though it was a female's voice, it wasn't Tonks'.

Harry turned around slowly.

"Oh my..Harry I'm sorry...I'll just..." That's all a crimson red Ginny could say before she turned and ran out the room.

'Uh oh...That kind of back fired. So much for embarrassing Tonks.' yhought Harry.

_I'll say!_

'I didn't mean it! I was trying to get Tonks. I hope Ginny's not mad at me.'

_Trust me when I say she's WAY more embarrassed then angry. _

'I'll have to apologize later.'

At that moment the door opened again.

"What was Ginny's problem she just ran past me as red as a toma..." She paused and then turned around quickly. "Oh. Now I see why."

"At least I got you after all. However, I didn't expect an innocent bystander to be hit in the process." said a now smug Harry at having accomplished his goal. "You can turn around by the way. I'm wearing boxers. They're just skin coloured cause I was trying to get you back...which I did. Too bad it back fired a bit" concluded Harry as he reached for his pants and shirt.

"You just wait young man. Now that I have an ally in this war, you're toast!"

"Fine, but if _you_ start recruiting back up, then I will too. And let me tell you, you ain't seen nothing until you've been hit by a marauder!

"YOU WOULDN'T!"

"Oh Yes I would! Don't tempt me. What will it be? One on one? Or are we recruiting help?

"Ok, ok. One on one."

Harry completed getting dressed, grabbed his back pack and his invisibility cloak. "Ready when you are."

"So, do you know where you want to go?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd tell me. I've never shopped for clothes before. I'll make you another deal. We call a truce until the beginning of August, and I let you shop for me. I promise not to complain, much, about what you pick, and I'll pay for it. I wasn't kidding when I said I had no idea what to do. I don't even know what's in style and what isn't. What do you say?"

"You got yourself a deal." said Tonks as they shook on it. "The only problem we'll have is getting there and back."

"We wont have a problem getting back" Harry corrected her, "Dumbledore gave me a portkey that will bring us right back into this room when I told him you were taking me shopping this afternoon." He said as he motioned to the shoelace tied around his wrist.

"WHAT! You TOLD him?" Shouted a worried Tonks.

"It's ok Tonks. He said it was ok. I told him it was my idea, and that I conned you into doing it for me." assured Harry. "I made sure you wouldn't get in trouble and he told me not to worry about it. Actually, Dumbledore and I discussed another proposition that I have for you as well, but we'll talk about _that one_ later." he added with a knowing smile.

"Alright, but you promised...a truce till August!"

"I know. It has nothing to do with the truce, or our little war. You'll have to trust me. Just like I'm trusting _you_ to pick out good clothes for me."

"Alright then. Let's go. The neareststore is about 20 blocks away. Once we get outside we can catch a bus."

Harry threw on his cloak and followed Tonks out of Grimmauld place, and into muggle London.

* * *

After three hours of shopping, and several magically shrunken bags of clothes later, Tonks and Harry hit the food court and got some grub.

"Alright. Now that we have the clothes, it's time to do something about that hair of yours Harry." she stated as she munched on a fry.

"You can try. It's been this way for as long as I can remember." he sputtered as he finished off his mouth full of hamburger. "No matter how hard I try to comb it, it always does this."

"When was the last time you go it cut?"

"Well, when I was seven my aunt shaved it all off, but by morning it was back again, as bushy as ever." he remembered, rather amused.

"Yeah, accidental magic can be fun, but I meant the last time you got it cut."

"That _was_ the last time I got it cut."

"Are you saying you haven't had a hair cut since you were seven?" asked Tonks, rather surprised

"Um…yeah I guess. I just never really thought about it." answered Harry, a little sheepishly.

"And it never grew longer then that?"

"Nope, always stays about the same. Sometimes I could swear it was an inch or so longer, or shorter then usual, but it's probably just my imagination."

"I doubt that. Is there anything else weird you can think of about your hair or appearance that you think is different?"

"Well...mid-way through last year I could have sworn I was starting to grow some stubble on my chin, but I hated the thought of having to start shaving. The next morning I woke up and there was nothing there. I've never seen anything since. I thought it must have been the shadows playing tricks."

"Again, I highly doubt that. Have you never thought it weird that you never needed a hair cut?"

Harry let out an exasperated sigh.

"Great, another thing about me that's different. Alright, I'm curious now. Go ahead Tonks, tell me why I'm even more of a freak then I thought." he said with a mix of anger, depression and defeat.

"Harry, if I'm right, you're no more of a freak then I am." Replied Tonks

"What?"

"Well…if you can manipulate hair length, whether it is consciously or subconsciously, more likely then not, you have metamorphmagus abilities."

"You mean, like you?" Harry said this time with a bit of excitement.

"Yep." she said with a smile. "I bet if we worked at it for a bit, I'd be able to help you develop your skills a lot quicker then I was able to develop mine. It took me years to learn, since we're so rare and I didn't meet any others like me till I had already figured most of it out for myself. That is, if you don't mind spending a little _more_ time with me this summer." She added with a wink.

"Well I don't know." Harry said with a grin "What would Mrs. Weasley say if she found out I was spending all my free time with you up in my room."

"Harry Potter!" she said in a mock disciplinary voice as she slapped him playfully on the arm "You will _not _be making it sound like that _ESPECIALLY _to Molly Weasley. Heck, if you even _joked_ about that with her she'd be liable to skin me alive."

Harry laughed at the thought of Tonks being chased around Grimmauld place by Mrs. Weasley wielding a frying pan.

"How long do you think it would take me to get as good as you?"

"It took me about two and a half to three years" she said thoughtfully "but like I said, it's because I was doing it from scratch. With me helping you I'd guess we might be able to do it in half that time. And that's to get to where I am now. Course it should only take you a few weeks to start to be able to do some smaller things like hair growth and the like. If you want, we can even work specifically on that nasty scar of yours. I know how much you wish you could hide it sometimes."

"Yeah I do" he agreed sullenly "Hey Tonks. If I have this ability, how come I haven't been able to hide this thing? There are some days I wish nothing more then not to have it."

"That's a tough one Harry. I'll be honest and say I don't know. If I had to guess, I would say that it is because it was created by such a powerful curse, and since you didn't _know_ you could hide it, and you only _wished_ you could hide it, the curse cancelled out your ability to do it. Then again, that's just a guess. It might be such a powerful curse to your body that you might not be able to get rid of it at all. That's another possibility. But that doesn't mean we can't try." she concluded with a smile. "It could also be that subconsciously, you want it to stay there."

"What!" stated a disbelieving Harry.

"Hear me out. When you were younger, this scar was the only thing you had to remind you of your parents. You thought you had gotten it in the car crash that killed them, right? And so it was the one reminder of them that your uncle and aunt couldn't take away. And now, well, now it's a reminder to you of what You-know-who is capable of. You might think of it as a reminder of all the friends that have fallen." finished Tonks quietly. "It's just a thought."

Harry seemed to have calmed down. "You're right. I never really thought of it that way, but what you said makes sense. I know I'll never forget now. Over the last few days I've come to accept what has happened and I think I'm ready to move on. I think I'm ready to try to get rid of this thing. Even if it is just superficially." concluded Harry with a smile.

"This makes what I wanted to ask you earlier a lot easier actually. I have yet _another_ proposition for you."

Tonks almost looked worried at this, but smiled none the less. 'This boy has more plans and schemes then a Slytherin sometimes.' she thought wryly. "Alright, let's hear it."

"I'm looking for a trainer. I promise to tell you what my reasons are when we're in a…safer…place. But I can promise you that I have Dumbledore's approval and blessing to do this and I was wondering if you would be willing to help me out."

"Not that I think you don't need it, Harry, but I see a few flaws in your plan. First off, where can we do this training? You're supposed to stay hidden, and even if, by some miracle, we can mange in Sirius' room, it'll look a little suspicious if I sneak in there everyday for a few hours. Second, you can't do magic since you're still underage. And third, I don't think you're tough enough to take what I'd dish out to you." she added with a malicious grin.

Harry smiled. "If I can promise you that I've taken care of the first two, will you take a chance on the third and do it?"

Now Tonks was confused. "Harry, how?"

"Never mind that, just answer my question. If I can take care of the first two, will you accept?"

Now Tonks' curiosity was peeked. "How long are we talking about here?"

"Well," thought Harry aloud "You'd have to be willing to go away for 2 weeks. No outside contact with anyone. Dumbledore knows I'm going to ask you, and agrees that this takes priority over the Order's tasks. Well?"

"Ok. I'm in. If only to see how you're planning on pulling this off without the ministry breaking down your door and snapping your wand."

"Oh trust me. The Ministry wouldn't be _able_ to break down _my_ door. They could get seriously hurt." Harry said grinning madly.

Tonks, for the second time today, was wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

"I've still got the next couple of weeks off. Since I helped in the capture of all those Death Eaters at the ministry, I was given a special commendation and time off for defending the ministry from a very real threat and following through on public safety even when the ministry said there was nothing to fear. Basically, it's their way of apologizing to those of us who believed Dumbledore and fought along side him while the Minister was being stupid. So I won't have to explain my absence there either."

"Perfect. Is there anything you need to get before we do this? Or are you ready to go as soon as we finished shopping?"

"That depends. Will I need to bring food...or clothes?" she asked seductively.

Harry turned a light shade of pink and smiled. Not wanting to show defeat, however, he responded "That all depends on what kind of physical endurance training you had in mind."

Tonks promptly turned a shade of red that would have rivaled Ginny's earlier today. "Hey! What happened to the truce?"

"Don't look at me. YOU were the one who started it!" he said in his defense.

"Alright, I deserved that. But the truce stands, ESPECIALLY if we're going to be training together. You're getting too good at this and I don't think we'd get enough work done if we were both too embarrassed to look at each other."

"Sounds good to me." Said Harry "Is there _any_ way we could go to Diagon Alley for the rest of the afternoon?"

"No Way! You'll be recognized in no time. And _I'll_ get in serious trouble."

"Please? Just for an hour or two? You could cast a disguise charm on my face, no one would recognize me." He begged with a _very _pleading look. "I haven't been there for _ages_ and there are a couple of things I want to pick up before I start my training." he begged as he fluttered his eye lashes.

"FINE! Fine. You win. But just for an hour...or two." she finally conceded. "You know, Harry, I might not have to work that hard with you on your metamorphmagus skills after all. If I didn't know any better, I'd _swear_ you'd just changed your eyes to resemble those of a puppy."

Harry smiled in triumph as they got up and started to make their way to the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

(1) Latin for 'to fold together'

**AN:**Thanks to the reviewers:**Destined Enchantress,** **Potter Reader **and** Athenakitty**.

Farfumsane


	8. Moving In

**Disclaimer:** Not my world, just my country.

**Chap 7:** **Moving In**

It had taken Ginny a good three hours to even get up enough courage to leave her room. She was sure her face was now a permanent shade of red.

'What was I thinking just walking in like that? He hadn't told us he was here. I doubt he was expecting me of all people to walk in on him. Why does this always have to happen to me?'

She thought a little longer and a small smile played across her lips, 'not that is was a _bad_ view. He's definitely been working out or something this summer.'

She shook her head quickly. 'No, stop that! This is Harry we're talking about here. Ron's friend. He might as well be my older brother.'

After a few more deep breathes, and almost believing her last thoughts, she made her way down to the kitchen for a snack. She had decided to keep Harry's presence at Grimmauld place a secret. After all, what would she tell her brother?

'Oh yeah, Harry's here. I just saw him up stairs standing in front of the mirror naked a few hours ago.'

No, that wouldn't do. She would have to talk to Harry about that. She did not want Ron to find out about this, any of her brothers for that matter. And she _definitely_ didn't want Dean to find out about it. She doubted that would go over well at all, and that was one headache she'd just sooner avoid.

She entered the kitchen to find Ron munching away on something. 'Big surprise there.'

"Gin, where were you all morning? I waited around for you for an hour or so before I decided to go do some reading on my own. You still on for some exercising later on this afternoon?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Sure." she replied, taking a couple of seconds to realize what he was talking about.

"You ok Gin? You seem a bit distracted." he noticed.

"No, I mean yes. I'm fine. Sorry. I just woke up from a nap. Still out of it." she replied, playing up the whole disoriented thing.

"Mmm, ok." he muttered as the turned back to the food in front of him, obviously falling for Ginny's story.

Since she missed lunch, she decided to grab something too. So she sat down with her brother.

"I wonder what Harry's up to today." Ron thought aloud.

Ginny froze in her seat. Her ears started turning red.

"How..how would I know?" she asked hesitantly.

"What? No, of course you wouldn't, I was just wondering is all. He can't be having much fun with the muggles. He always tells me how boring it is there for him." Then he looked at her. "Gin, you sure you're ok? You're turning rather red. You sick or something?"

"Yeah...that's it...not feeling too well." she sputtered. "I think I'm just gonna lie down again. I'll see you at dinner." At this she quickly got up and dashed out the room.

A stunned Ron just sat there, not exactly sure what just happened. He tried to call after her "Was it something I said?"

* * *

The rest of the afternoon flew by for Harry. 

Upon reaching Diagon Alley, he went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at the new line of broom, then Madam Malkins to check out some robes. He stopped in at Flourish and Blotts, but he still didn't know what his library carried so he decided to hold off on purchases till he was sure what he needed there. He made a couple of inquiries at the apothecary about prices and availability of some of the more rare potion ingredients he had read about, and then noticed a sign on one of the buildings near Olivander's.

'Weasleys Wizarding Weezes coming soon. Grand opening August 15th . Just in time to stock you up for school.'

Harry smiled and shook his head.

'I might just have to drop in on the 15th and put this 'good name' of mine to good use.'

After accidentally knocking over a cauldron display outside the apothecary, Tonks was visibly upset. "Harry, you didn't buy a thing! Why was it so urgent we come to Diagon Alley anyways?"

"No reason really." he said, trying to stifle his laughter at the incident. How someone could be so graceful in battle, yet so clumsy every other time was beyond him. "I had forgotten that I really didn't need anything after all until I got here. Sorry." he answered, not really sorry at all. His main reason for going was to get some sort of idea what the prices of things were so that when he sent Stewy for them later, he'd know approximately how much to give him.

"It's time to go then, unless there is something else you didn't want to buy?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nope. I'm pretty sure I didn't get everything." he replied cheekily, refusing to be out done.

They both grabbed the shoelace, and Harry said the activation words, "Home James", and they appeared back in the bedroom at Grimmauld place.

"Alright. If I'm going away for two weeks, then I have to make a few arrangements. How about we start on Monday? That gives me all day tomorrow to get my things done. Where should I meet you?" asked Tonks.

"Right here. I'll see you Monday at 9am then."

"Here? Where are we going anyways?" she asked

"You'll see my good Tonks. This works out well actually. I have a few people to talk to before then as well."

"Fine then, don't tell me. I'll see you on Monday." She said, mildly disappointed, before leaving.

Harry decided to talk to Ginny and make sure she was ok. He also needed to find Remus. Donning his invisibility cloak, he commenced his search.

Ginny's room was closest, so he tried there first. He knocked lightly, so as not to make too much noise.

"Ginny? Gin, you in there?" he whispered

"Harry?"

"Shhh! No one's supposed to know I'm here. Can I come in?"

"Yeah sure. Wait a second." he heard the lock unclick, and the door open slightly, "Harry? Where are you?"

"Move over, I'm under an invisibility cloak." he said as he entered quickly and closed the door behind him.

"Invisibility cloak? When did you get that?" asked a disbelieving Ginny

"Christmas. My first year. It used to belong to my father." explained Harry.

"Well that explains how you and my brothermanaged to sneak around without getting caught all the time."

"Yeah that, and other things, but that's not why I'm here." he said as he took off the cloak.

"Look Ginny, about this morning, I wanted to apologize." started Harry.

"Why would _you_ want to apologize? It was _me _who walked in on you nak...well...walked in on you without asking." interjected a now extremely crimson Ginny.

"That's why I want to apologize. I wasn't really naked. I was just trying to get back at Tonks. I was actually wearing flesh coloured boxers to make it look like I was naked."

Ginny was looking less red, but at the same time more confused. "Get her back? For what?"

"Well, you see...Tonks and I have started an embarrassment war in which we try to out embarrass the other." He then proceeded tell Ginny about their initial meeting that summer, and all the other moments that have lead to this declaration of hostilities between the two parties.

By the end of his story Ginny was giggling madly.

"So you see Gin, you were just an innocent bystander." Then he thought for a moment. "Wait a sec, maybe you weren't as innocent as I thought. How did you know I was in there in the first place?" asked a perplexed Harry.

"Oh, I heard you and professor Dumbledore talking in there earlier, so I waited till he was gone before I went in. I guess I waited just a little too long...or maybe my timing was just right." she said suggestively getting a shade of pink to quickly appear on Harry's face.

"Don't you start too! I'm having enough trouble with just one. I'd hate to have to go and find some help." he added maliciously. "I can easily name off at least 3 red headed boys and one werewolf who would be _more_ then happy to assist me in this." he threatened with an evil grin.

"No! You wouldn't!"

"Oh yes I would. Don't try me. I'm starting to learn I can't handle everything on my own. I wouldn't wait till it's too late this time. I'd recruit at the fist sign of a real battle." he responded with determination in his voice and a glint in his eye.

"Fine, but you have to _PROMISE_ me that you won't tell _anyone_ that I walked in on you today. Nobody at all. Deal?"

"It's a deal. Besides, I might be able to ask you for advice on how to get Miss Nymphandora the next time."

"Now that that's settled, why are you here?" asked Ginny.

"I'm not. Well, I'm not for long. I left my uncle and aunt's place this morning, but I'm not staying in Grimmauld place." Technically he wasn't lying "I can't tell you what I'm doing yet, but I promise to fill both you and Ron in on my birthday. I don't want to keep secrets from you guys, but I have to do this. Please don't tell Ron that you saw me either. The less people who know that I've been here, the better."

"Ok, I won't pry, but _only_ because you said you'd tell me in two weeks. I'll be expecting a FULL report on the 31st."

"You'll get it, I promise."

"Hermione will be here on your birthday too, so be prepared to tell her as well."

Harry smiled at the news. "That's what I was hoping for. I didn't want to have to repeat myself. Thanks for everything, Gin. I have to go find professor Lupin, do you know where he is?"

"Last time I saw him, he was in the study. You could try there or maybe the kitchen."

"Oh, one more thing." Harry then proceeded to draw Ginny into a big hug. "Thanks for your letter earlier this summer, it really helped." he said as he hugged her firmly.

Lasting a little longer then it probably should have, the hug finally ended when Harry slowly separated himself from Ginny.

"Anytime." She said, barely above a whisper. Harry noticed she looked slightly red, but was smiling madly all the same.

"Thanks again, Ginny. I'll see you in two weeks." With that he put on his invisibility cloak and made his way out of her room.

It wouldn't be until later that night that Harry would remember the first spell Albus had cast upon entering Sirius' room and then he would forget again almost as quickly until much later that year.

* * *

Remus Lupin was sitting on the roof and looking out over the neighbourhood around Grimmauld place. Watching the muggles scurrying about their daily business, completely unaware of the world in which he lived. Completely unaware of the very real war that was about to start on their back doorstep. A war that they will probably never know had happened at all, unless the good guys lost. 

"You are one tough person to find, professor." came a voice behind him that Remus was _sure _he recognized.

Remus turned around quickly to see...nothing? There was definitely someone there though, he could smell them. It smelled like..."Harry?"

Harry removed his hood, so it appeared as though a head was floating in front of Remus.

Remus smiled. "It's good to see you. But, what are you doing here? Did something happen?" he asked in a now concerned voice.

"Yes, something did happen, and I'll tell you everything. But now is not a good time. I noticed you when I got here. Weren't you supposed to be gone till tomorrow? Did something change?"

"Yes, something happened, but now is not a good time." he said, mimicking Harry's response.

"Alright, fine, I deserve that. The reason I came out to find you was that I have a proposition for you. If you can clear it with Dumbledore, I'd like you to help Nymphanodra with my training over the next two weeks. I got the ok for her, but I didn't ask for you since I didn't think you'd be back in time."

"I'll ask. What sort of training? And were will it take place?"

"As for your first question, everything. I'll be training in many different things and I need people to spar against, and help to correct me. As for where, that's my secret." he said with a knowing grin. "All you have to do is be in Sirius' room, Monday morning at 9am."

"Alright, I'll go and talk to Albus immediately. Where will you be until then?"

"The same place that we'll be doing the training."

"We have a lot to go over actually," His expression saddened and Harry knew he was talking about Sirius' will. "But that can wait till Monday. I'll see you then."

"Sounds good. Bye Professor"

"Harry, I haven't been your professor for two years now, you think you could call me Remus?"

"How bout a compromise; Mooney?"

Remus smiled. "I'd like that. I'll talk to you later cub."

"Bye Mooney." replied Harry as he replaced his hood and made his way back inside.

* * *

Harry returned to his mansion. Stewy appeared promptly as he entered and so Harry informed him he would be going to the library. He then asked Stewy to come and get him at 6:45 so that he would not be late for the meeting later. Stewy agreed and disappeared. 

It was only 3pm and he still had 4 hours before he had to meet with the portraits, so off he went to the library to start looking up a few things he wanted to study.

Sitting down at the desk, he decided to make a list of some of the things he would want to study in his off time if it wasn't covered by the training.

Animagus training for sure. Wand making and mechanics, since his wand didn't work against Voldemort he'd have to find a way to make a new one, or make his existing one work against its brother. Enchanting items since that would definitely be helpful to know.

He thought a little longer. If he had 'a power the Dark Lord knows not' he should probably try to figure out what it was so that he could use it when he needed to. So he decided to add a search for rare or uncommon magical abilities.

After completing the list, he got up and looked around at the vast plethora of books.

'Where do I start?' Harry thought.

Looking down at his list, he decided to kick things off with something fun. He walked over to the large Reference Tome on the podium and looked up 'animagus transformations'.

He found 5 books listing how to transform, 12 books on the theory behind it, 4 on famous animagi of the past, 1 on famous magical animagi of the past, 1 on famous multi-animagi of the past, and one entitled 'A Potters' Animagus History'.

'24 books on animagus transformation alone? This is going to be a long night!' He thought as he let out an exasperated sigh. Then he touched the titles of the books with his wand as Stewy had told him to, and they all appeared on one of the large reading tables.

He thought to himself for a moment, and decided he'd try something else. He returned to the Reference Tome and looked up 'reading aids'.

Once again, there was a long list of titles. 10 on speed reading techniques; some muggle and some that focused on your internal magic, 2 on spells for memory enhancement and organization while reading, 2 for spells that heighten the eye's effectiveness over all, and 1 with spells that focused on speed reading and comprehension. Harry then touched all of those titles with his wand, and they appeared on one of the other tables.

He made his way over to the table and picked up that last book. 'Lots to read, and little time to do it in' by Ralt E Dao (1)

'I'll read this one, and then use what I learn in here to help me read the others. After that's all done I can decide which techniques are the best for me to use and then tackle the animagus and other topics later.'

With that, he sat down in one of the comfy chairs by the fire, and started reading.

Stewy arrived at exactly 6:45. Harry had found two good spells in the first half hour of reading that allowed him to get through the rest of the book in an hour. He had also gotten through another 2 and a half books by the time Stewy had appeared. After each book, he implemented what he had learned in order to read the next one more efficiently. By the time he went down to dinner, he was reading, with a photographic memory and complete understanding of the material, at 3 pages a minute. He had been steadily improving, and was looking forward to getting back to it after his meeting was over.

"Good evening Harry." He heard Godric's portrait say as he entered Potter Hall. "Dinner will be here any minute, and while you eat, I'll go over the timetable we have made up for you, and also which one of us will be teaching you which subjects.

"But first I need you to take out your wand, and repeat after me. 'Cunctor domus temporis'(2) and make this motion." instructed Godric, as he displayed the wand movement for Harry.

After several practices with the movements, and help with the pronunciation, Harry put the two together.

"Cunctor domus temporis" Nothing seemed to happen. "Did I do it right?"

John promptly left his portrait and returned within a couple of seconds. "Yes you did Harry."

"What was that spell for?"

"When I created with Mansion, Harry, I meant for it to be not only an escape from the 'real world', but also an escape from the pressures that one faced _in_ the 'real world'. And what is one of the biggest causes of pressure in the world?"

"Snape?" answered a confused Harry, which brought on a round of laughter from all the portraits.

"No Harry." replied a still chuckling Godric "not a pressure individually yours, but one that spans generations."

Harry thought about it for a while. 'Well...Tempori has something to do with time...Of course!'

"We never have enough time to do what we want. Time is our greatest pressure." he said confidently.

"Exactly Harry, exactly." replied an impressed Godric. "The spell you just cast, triggered a dormant enchantment that I planted in here when I first built this place. It can be turned on or off at the bidding of the owner. Essentially, you have changed the rate at which time passes while you are here. Potter Mansion is now working at a 4:1 time ratio to that of the outside world. This means that 4 days in here, will result in 1 day out there. So when I said you'd be training for 2 weeks with us, I wasn't being entirely truthful. You will be training for two weeks with us in the time of the outside world, but for you, 2 months will have passed."

"That's excellent!" Harry was planning on intensive training, but he wasn't expecting to be able to have so much time to do it. This also means that he now had 4 days before he had to meet Tonks and Mooney. That would be more then enough time to establish a routine, and even do a bit of metamorphmagus reading and practice before Tonks got here.

"I have also invited two people to come and assist me in my training. They would listen to you and help you show me what to do. I believe you," he said turning to his grandfather's portrait "know Remus Lupin." His grandfather smiled and nodded. "He was also the 3rd year DADA professor who helped me learn the Patronus Charm. The other is an Auror who works with Professor Dumbledore in his Order of the Phoenix that I described to you the other night, Nymphandora Tonks. But never address her by her first name, she hates it. Her mother was a Black that married a muggle, so that tells you she's more like her cousin Sirius then the rest of her mother's family."

Godric Smiled and shook his head "Harry, you don't have to justify your actions to us. You are the Master of the house now, we are merely here to advise you when you need it and help you when we can. We all trust your decisions implicitly and if any of us ever _do_ have a problem, we'll bring it up with you individually in private"

Harry nodded in understanding. "There's another reason why she's coming though, and this I do have to talk with you about because I'll need to schedule some time with her specifically. It would appear that I may have metamorphmagus abilities, and since she is one, she'll be able to help me develop quicker."

"Well that is a surprise." stated William. "We've never had a metamorphmagus in the Potter family line. It must come from your mother's side. Though didn't you say she was muggle born?"

Harry nodded

"Very odd indeed, but at the same time, very, very helpful." finished William with a smile.

"Actually William." said Joseph "I did have limited metamorphmagus abilities. I could change my hair length and even some slight facial features, but it was very weak in me. The power might just have been either latent since me, or just not discovered in our later generations."

"Really?" replied Petrius "that would explain why I never had to shave a day in my life."

Then John chimed in "I thought that was just a Potter trait. I never had to shave either."

"Heck no. I had to shave twice a day if I had an evening appointment" interjected Wolfric "and let me tell you it was a pain."

"That settles it then." said Godric "It appears to have entered the Potter line somewhere before Joseph. Just where, however, will remain a mystery. We shall have to add this to Potter family magic history, Horass. You might be able to speak to the wives to see if there were any other manifestations of this gift at other times."

"Excuse me," interrupted Harry "but what do you mean by 'speak to the wives' and 'Potter family magic'?"

Well you see Harry, it would be awfully lonely in here for us if we were painted alone, plus this place was a gift to both myself _and_ my wife on our wedding day. So tradition has had it that not only a portrait of the male Potter was placed in the mansion, but also one of his wife. It's both a blessing and curse." answered William, followed by a round of laughter from all in attendance.

"And as for Potter family magic," interjected Horass "since the Potter family is so old, and many magical abilities are hereditary, we have quite a dazzling array of magical gifts in our history, and future for that matter. All of these gifts tend to skip a generation or two from time to time, but usually, any given Potter will have at least 3 to 5 uncommon magical abilities such as animagus, enchanting, an ease with wandless magic, a knack for silent incantations, a gift in potions, occlumency, legilimency, or a few others. Now we can add metamorphmagus to the mix. But we'll be covering all this tomorrow first thing when we meet to try and figure out exactly what _your _gifts are so that we can focus on them and help you develop them properly."

"That's right." started Godric "Tomorrow will pretty much be a write off for you Harry. All day is spent going over Potter Family Magic and doing a multitude of tests on you to find out what yours are. We'll also be doing a few tests to find out how great your connection with the magical realm is, and how powerful you can expect to become. These are all essential so that we can make the proper adjustments to the schedule in the weeks to come. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes I do. So what time and where should I meet you Horass?"

"We'll start bright and early, at 6 am in my room."

"This will be your tentative schedule for the first 16 days Harry. During this time you will be starting a physical training program and reviewing your school material from the last 5 years so that we can be sure you are where you are supposed to be. It is good that you have a couple of people you trust coming to help, and it might even speed up the process since they'll be able to show you what you're doing wrong more effectively then we can.

"To reduce your confusion about the two different time ideas, we'll be changing to a 4 day rotation. That way, for every 4 day class rotation, one day will pass outside. You will notice on the door in the Entrance Hall there is a 24 hour clock. That clock will read the time as it appears in the real world and will also list the day and month so as to rule out any confusion. When are your friends coming by the way?"

"They'll be outside the door at 9 am Monday morning...their time."

"So that means you wake up at...oh sorry Harry...you have to be up before 3am on the 7th day. Not a problem, we'll just have Stewy monitor that clock and come and get you at 8:50 Monday morning. You won't have to worry about that yourself." He reassured Harry noticing the confused look on his face.

"Seventh day. Don't you mean 5th day?"

"No Harry. Think of it as every day in here is six hours out there. You cast the spell at 7 tonight. So at 3pm tomorrow, Saturday will be ending, midnight, in the outside world. Then you have 6 days that cover the rest Sunday and part of Monday and then a full day will take place Monday morning between 2:30 and 8:30. We'll give you the whole seventh day off, since you have to get up at 3am to get them for 9am their time. This will also give you a whole day to show them around and have them consult us for their part in your training." said a proud Godric for having explained it in a fashion he was sure made sense, but looking over at Harry, he obviously had just made things worse.

"How 'bout I just trust you know what you're talking about, and let you handle the details. Just make sure I'm not late." said a defeated and thoroughly confused Harry.

"Sounds good. Like I said. We'll have Stewy take care of it." said Godric, trying to reassure his heir.

"All that aside, here's the schedule:" Godric then began to list off what classes Harry had and when. It was intense.

Day one:

Physical training 6 to 9 - Wolfric, Thomas  
Breakfast 9-9:30  
Transfiguration 9:30 – 12:30 - Godric  
Lunch 12:30- 1:30  
Charms 1:30 – 4:30 - David  
Knowledge of magical creatures 4:30 – 7:30 - Matthias  
Dinner and free time till next morning.

Day two:

Physical training 6 to 9 - Wolfric, Thomas  
Breakfast 9-9:30  
Potions 9:30 – 12:30 - Petrius  
Lunch 12:30 – 1:30  
Magical Law and Etiquette 1:30 – 4:30 – Joseph, Horass  
Dueling 4:30 – 7:30 – Fredric, Godric, David, Earnest  
Dinner and free time till next morning.

Days 3 and 4 had all the same courses, just in different orders, except for the physical training that started at the ungodly hour of 6 am everyday.

"All of your classes will be in the Room of Requirement at first, until you are told otherwise by your professor. Since a portrait cannot influence the Room of Requirement, you will meet with each professor outside the door of the room, and get instructions as to what you will need the room to have for each class. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Sorry Harry. I didn't mean to make it sound so formal, it's just a force of habit. When you run a school for as long as I had, you tend to get that attitude ingrained in your personality." he said with a smile. "In classes, as in all other times, you are to refer to as by our first names. Do you know how confusing it would be if you started calling all of them Professor Potter?"

Harry smiled and nodded again.

"Good. Since you are meeting with Horass at 6am tomorrow, and the whole day will probably be taken up with the history and tests, we'll just start fresh with Day 1 the day after. Alright?"

"No problem. I do have one concern. You said that this would be review for all that I was learning at Hogwarts, but I'm not learning Magical Law or Etiquette at school."

"So I've heard. That's precisely why we'll be starting with it right off the bat.Two months is hardly enough time to go over everything that is needed in that field. From what you've told me of that dolt running the magical world, you're going to need to know _exactly_ what you can and can't do under the letter of the law. If we don't, you might find yourself taken advantage of, or even reprimanded for something you were entitled to do. You have to know the game before you can play it. And the reason we grouped those two topics together, is because they are more closely related then you could ever imagine, especially when you go back to some of the older, more ancient wizarding laws that are barely remembered anymore, but could be used to your advantage. You'll see what I mean soon enough." said Godric with a smile.

"For example," interjected Horass "being the last living member of a noble line of pure blooded wizards, you are exempt from the age restriction on the use of magic. You should have had access to, and the ability to use, magic since your parent's were killed, in order to be able to defend yourself and your family's honour at anytime being the sole person who can legally do so."

Harry was too surprised to reply to that. What other rare and wonderful laws were out there that he could use to his advantage. He was actually looking forward to that class now.

After he had finished eating, Harry excused himself and returned to the library. It was only 8:00, and though he had to be up at 6, this still gave him 2 hours to read before he should go to bed. He wanted to be well rested for tomorrow's early start. He wasn't sure what the tests were like, but he was anxious to find out what secrets the Potter's were keeping and which of those secrets he'd be able to use for himself.

Picking up the book that he had been reading before dinner, Harry quickly cast some of the reading spells he knew and continued where he had left off.

* * *

Later that evening, Remus contacted the Headmaster by floo. 

"Ah, Remus. Good to see you, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call." asked the kind old man with a twinkle in his eye.

"Good evening to you Albus. I've just had a rather interesting conversation with Harry, at which time he asked me to leave with him for the next two weeks and help him with his training. Did you know about this?"

"I was wondering if he was going to ask you. Yes I know about it, and you have my blessing to go and aid him in this."

"But Albus, what about the talks? I'm sure we can't put them off for two weeks! Who will you send if not me?" asked Remus.

"Yes Remus, the talks are important. But this is _much_ more important. It is essential that Harry know not only how to keep safe, but he must also be able to defend himself and fight back if the situation requires it. He knows more about his role in this war then you do Remus, and it's not my place to explain it to you. Suffice to say, that I think Harry's training takes top priority and since he has chosen yourself and Nymphandora personally, all I can do is support his decision. And as for the talks, I'll handle them personally. I might even try to find the time to drop in on you and Harry once and a while to see how it coming." he added with a smile.

"Where will the training take place?" asked the Marauder.

"What did Harry tell you?"

"Nothing. All he said was to meet him up in Sirius' room Monday morning at 9am."

"If that is what he told you, then I must regretfully remain silent also. It is not my secret to tell, and so all I can do is suggest you be there at the designated time if you wish to find out." he said as he smiled like one who knew a secret.

"Not you too! Although, I should have expected no less. You haven't given me a straight answer since I was 11." replied Remus cheekily.

"What? And miss the priceless puzzled look on your face? I must allow myself some joys in life. Aside from my lemon drops, I have so few." he said as his eyes twinkled.

"Goodnight, Albus." answered Remus in mock irritation. "I hope the talks go well for you and I'll see you when you come to visit next."

"Goodnight Remus." he responded as the flames died.

* * *

(1) Ralt E Dao...or...REaD a lot.  
(2) Latin for 'slow' 'house' 'time' 

**AN:** Thanks again to all my readers and especially to my latest batch of reviews: **g3tog4, Iluvatar, Jennifer, Destined Enchantress, PO Anderson, Goldilocks, Grand Griffon.**

As this is my little corner of JK Rowling's world, I'm taking some liberties, as you can tell with the creation of old and wonderful laws. This is just a warning that there will be more to come. Harry will remain light and so won't abuse them, but he WILL push them to their fullest in order to accomplish what he deems is right and necessary.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and continue to read. As always, please R & R.

Farfumsane.


	9. Air, Land and Sea

**Disclaimer:** Once upon a time there was an author named J.K.Rowlings. She wrote an epic tale about Harry Potter and the world in which he lived. That person is not me.

The End.

**Chap 8: Air, Land and Sea**

The next morning came far too quickly for Harry. He had finished off all the rest of the reading aid books before going to bed the night before, and with their combined advice, and spells, Harry was now reading with a photographic memory and total understanding of the material at 20 pages a minute. He did, however, have to stop after every book for about 10 minutes to properly organize the information and make it easier to access from his memory, but that was a small price to pay.

He got dressed and headed down to Horass' room.

Not fully awake yet, he entered the room and was startled by greeting from a woman's voice.

"Good morning Harry. I have heard so much about you. My name is Rebecca. I am Horass' wife. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." said the portrait of the middle aged, redheaded woman as she curtsied.

Harry forced a smile and bowed slightly. "Thank you."

"Horass will be right back. He went to ask Stewy to get the reference book on Potter Magic. Please sit and help yourself to something to eat." she added as she motioned towards the table next to her with muffins, toast, and various other breakfast foods laid out on it. "Since this is your first night in the Mansion, Stewy wasn't sure what you liked in the morning. Just let him know for tomorrow and he'll be more specific. He's such a good elf."

"Thanks." mumbled Harry as he groggily made his way over to the table.

Rebecca just started giggling at his appearance and lack of energy. "Well if the hair isn't enough to give you away as a Potter, that morning attitude certainly is. I have not known a Potter male who enjoyed getting up anytime before 10am."

This comment made Harry smile as he settled in and started eating a piece of toast.

"Ah Harry, it's good to see you." greeted Horass "Sorry I wasn't here when you arrived, I hope my wife wasn't _too_ insufferable. I know how 'perky' she can be this early in the morning." he said with a grimace, which earned him a quick slap upside the head from the Witch beside him.

"On that note," said Rebecca in mock irritation, "I'll be leaving. You boys have fun." she called out as she left the side of the portrait.

Horass moved over to the portrait that was hanging directly in front of the table Harry was sitting at. "Alright, we'll start off the day going over the many gifts that we Potters have been known to possess. After that, well talk over lunch and figure out if any of them have already started to manifest themselves in you, after lunch we'll try to prove the ones you think you have, and then move on and check if you have any others that might not have shown themselves yet. Sound good?"

Harry merely nodded as he finished off his latest mouthful of toast.

"After you're done here," he said motioning to the food "I want you to grab some of that parchment and a quill and we'll start. I'll list them all and explain them. What I want you to do is write down each one, and beside it put down how probable you think it is that you have that ability, ok?"

"Ok." responded Harry.

Horass started listing off various powers, their definitions, which Potters had had which of these powers, and some of the signs associated with possessing these powers. The recorded Potter powers were: Animagus-(normal, multi and magical.), Beastspeaker, Enchanter, Potions Master, Transfiguration Master, Charms Master, Telepath, Empath, Sorcerer (Master of Wandless and Wordless), Master Occlumens, Master Legilemens, Aura Reader, Magical Sight, Green Thumb, Dream/world walker, Breatherofall(can breathe any atmosphere, even poisoned air and water, as if breathing normally), Heightened magical reflexes, and the most recently catalogued Metamorphmagus.

Looking at his list with a confused expression, he asked "Do we have _all_ the gifts possible? What else can there be?"

Horass just chuckled "Harry, there are many, many magical gifts in this world. Almost every wizard or witch has at least one in some form or another whether it be a weak manifestation or a strong one. Some of the one's that haven't graced the Potter blood line yet are: Seer, Magical scholar (can read any written language), Telekinetic, Healing Touch, Chameleon Skin, Teleporter and many others. Not to mention that new powers and mutations of older ones have also been known to come into existence or develop over time. Chameleon Skin just came into being not even 80 years ago. Of course, you should have learned more about this in History of magic." he finished with a critical eye on Harry. "Of course, that would require you to remain conscious for that class."

Harry looked down guiltily at his parchment and continued writing. Lunch was now being served and Harry was looking over the list as he munched on a sandwich.

'They said I'd probably have around 5 of these? Well...Heightened reflexes for sure, that's why I can play seeker so well, and, well...I'm not sure what else. I've always been good at charms, I guess that could be one. Despite Snape's attempts at causing me to fail, I did find the OWL to be far from the grueling experience I thought it would be.' Harry wore a wide smile at the thought. 'wouldn't that just be a kick in the pants for old Snapey if I were a potion's master.' he mused to himself.

"It is, as I have said, possible for a new ability to manifest itself in a wizard, plus we don't know exactly what ability, or abilities, your mother possessed, so we will be doing every possible test on you today. Don't worry though, the tests rarely hurt. Usually just a tingly feeling." Horass said with a smile as he noticed the worried expression on Harry's face. "But first, do you have any idea what we should be looking for?"

Harry then told him what he had been thinking about, and where he thought he had 'some' abilities. Transfiguration maybe, although never the quickest in class, he did always pick it up before the majority. But that didn't mean anything.

After lunch, and the brief discussion, they got down to business.

"This is what's going to happen, Harry. Since I can't cast any spells, obviously, you are going to have to cast them on yourself with my coaching. You'll be able to do most of them, but some of the tests are going to have to wait until Monday when you're friends come. Now, take out your wand, and learn this pattern."

As Horass demonstrated, Harry practiced, and after a couple of minutes he appeared to have it right.

"Repeat after me 'Acclaro Magus Adnexus'"

Once Harry had the pronunciation down, he put the two together. Once cast, Harry began glowing a blue colour that seemed to fade into purple and then to red and then back to blue again. The cycle continued a couple of more times and then the colours faded completely.

"I was afraid of this." muttered Horass.

"Afraid of what? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no my boy. What I was afraid of, was that you were too young and haven't yet realized your true magical potential. Unfortunately I was right. Magical maturity is much like physical maturity. Your body goes through a magical version of puberty as well. Although it doesn't usually last as long as physical maturing, taking several years to grow to full height, it usually doesn't take place 'til the wizard, or witch, is between 14 and 18. They are, usually, completely magically matured by the time they graduate. The colours that the spell revealed show that you are in the process of maturing, but it will still be some time before that process is complete."

Harry nodded in understanding, if not with a little disappointment. "So why is this a bad thing? You said you were afraid of this, as in it would be a problem."

"Very astute Harry. The reason it can potentially be a problems, is that some magical abilities do not manifest themselves fully, if at all, until the body's connection with magic has been completed, especially when there are more the one ability present in that magic user. So this means that the tests we do today are still a tad premature. It is possible to identify some of the abilities that have already manifested themselves, but there will, most likely, be some that have not.

"We'll start anyways, and do what we can. As the year goes on, just cast that spell on yourself from time to time. Once it is a solid colour that no longer fluctuates, then we'll know you have reached full magical maturity, and we can re-administer these test and see exactly what you have available to you."

Harry agreed and they got down to work. By dinner time they had tested Harry for the vast majority of the known Potter Magics, and after dinner they had planned finishing off that list and moving on to the tests for some of the other more popular, non-Potter gifts. Other Potter Portraits had been coming in and out of the room in curious anticipation of their protégé's potential abilities, and thus far had not been disappointed.

Harry had already shown that he was at least weakly gifted as a Transfiguration Master, a Charms Master and as one with Magical Sight. He had a moderate to high gift as a Master Occlumens, a Master Legilimens, and a Potions Master. His strongest by far was Sorcerer and also had very magically heightened reflexes.

He had registered no innate abilities as a Breatherofall, a Dream/World Walker, Telepath, Enchanter or Aura Reader, the potion to see if he was an Animagus was in the process of brewing and he still had to be tested as an Empath, a Breatherofall, a Beast Speaker and a Green Thumb. Unfortunately, the tests for Green Thumb and beastspeaker have to be administered by someone else, so they would have to wait until Monday and so did a couple of the other magical gifts that Potters have not yet possessed.

As of right now, he was the most gifted in the history of the Potter line with nine magical gifts, including his two new powers metamorphmagus and parstletongue. They still weren't sure if the second would be hereditary or not, so they didn't add it to that list yet.

"As you may have guessed from the various reactions, Harry, you are a very gifted boy. The biggest shock is that you haven't even reached full maturity, and so many of these gifts will only amplify in time, and some others, especially the rarer gifts, might still come into existence. The rarer gifts need stronger bonds to magic to sustain them. So until you're magic reaches its maximum, we wont know what other gifts could manifest." Horass said with pride as dinner was coming to an end. They had eaten in Horass' room since time was running out, and they didn't want to waste any of it.

"Great." Said a down cast Harry. Even among the Potter line he wasn't normal. Was there ever going to be a place where he'd feel as though he fit in?

Noticing his downcast expression, Horass inquired "What's wrong Harry? Aren't you excited? You have so many tools sat your disposal. I would think this news would be encouraging."

"It is. I guess I'm happy about that. It's just that, well, why can't I just be normal? Even compared to my past family I'm a freak. I just never fit in anywhere I go. It makes me feel so alone sometimes."

"Harry," started Horass in a comforting voice "Different people are called to different things in life. Whether it be Teacher, or Auror, each and every one of us is provided with the tools we need to accomplish what we've been put here to do. Since you know what you are meant to do in your life, it should come as no surprise that you have been given, and are constantly being given, the tools you'll need to accomplish it.

"I'll be honest, I don't envy you your task, I'd be lying if I said any sane person would _want_ it, but that doesn't mean you're alone. Yes, you are different, but we are all different in our ways. Whether it's because you come from another country and speak another language, or that you're a half giant, you can always be discriminated against for something and there will always be some who will, but not everyone. You have friends, Harry. From what you've told me of them, they are the truest sort of friends. The kind that will be with you through everything. And after this is all over, and the weight of the world is off your shoulders you'll see that those friends will still be with you. You're only as alone and you make yourself feel."

Then Horass smiled "But listen to me, I'm rambling on like some mentor figure in a poorly written fiction."

Harry chuckled.

"But sometimes cheesy is the only way to get things across." said Horass cheerfully. "We're all here for you Harry, and we always will be. You're friends are there too, don't push them away, you might find you need them before this is all over, and I don't just mean for the fighting."

"Thanks Horass," smiled Harry feeling more accepting of his place in life then he ever had for a long time "but we should get back to work, or I'll be up all night and a complete wreck for my first physical training session tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good to me. Now, take your wand out and using the same wand movements that you did for the telepathy test, speak the words 'Acclaro lectionis ex adyto cordis' this will show us your empathic, or your emotion reading, abilities."

Harry cast the spell and then began to glow red, and then orange and then yellow, eventually he went though all the colours of the rainbow and then back to red and it started all over again.

"Ok, Harry, you can end it."

After a quick _Finite Incantatem_ Harry, noticing Horass' confused face, asked "Well?"

"Uh...well...I don't really know. I've never heard of that happening before. I'll have to do some research into that. Luckily, one of my portraits is in a rather large wizarding library in Rome. I'll ask one of the scholars there to do some research for me. After my rather large donations to get them started all those years ago, they owe me a favour or two. But until then, I suggest we continue."

The rest of the night's testing was uneventful. Apart from the other talents that Harry had already been identified as having, he was also empathic, but to what extent, or what the unusual readings meant exactly, no one could say. All the other tests had come up negative, or could not be run until there was someone else there to administer them to him.

After the final test, Harry retired to the library and continued his reading. Before going to bed he was able to complete all the theory and 'how to' books on animagus transformations, but decided to leave the popular animagi books for another time.

* * *

Early, if not bright, the next morning Harry was up and at it. After various stretching activities, a few laps of the enlarged Room of Requirement, some light exercises, and a brief once over of Wolfric and Thomas' plan for the next two weeks, Harry was off to breakfast.

Godric started off transfiguration by taking out a much thicker and earlier edition of Harry's first year book. He then indicated that the major difference between the books was that each later edition omitted some of the theory behind the spell, and focused more on the casting of it. Godric then told Harry that they were going to relearn everything he knew, and teach him not what it was and what it did, but how it was and where it came from. This way, Harry would be better equipped to modify existing spells to better suit his needs, or to make his own spells when there wasn't one available to accomplish his desired task. With Harry's newly found reading skills, they were through half the book by the end of the class, and this included discussions to make sure he truly knew it. They would have finished the whole thing actually, if Godric would have believed Harry in the first place and not made him re-read it three times.

Then Harry sat through a similar speech in charms with David. This time, however, Harry made a note of telling him about his reading skills and spells before hand, and they were able to get through the whole grade 1 book in the three hours.

Then it was knowledge of magical creatures.

"Matthias? Why do you call it knowledge of magical creatures here, but at school it's called care of magical creatures?"

"Well Harry, I would think the name is rather self explanatory. This class isn't going to focus on how you care for these creatures, it's going to focus on how much you know of them. You could say it's a little more in depth then care of, since you wont only know how to care for them, you'll also know where they came from, what their strengths and weaknesses are both in the wild and in battle, on what level they are able to communicate, if they are able to communicate and all sorts of other tidbits of information in between. It's kind of like you're DADA studies on dark creatures plus your care of magical creatures class all round up into one."

With, they got to work. Matthias was extremely amused with the monster book of monsters. It had been published a long time after he had died and he had never seen it before. He found that the material there in, once you were able to open it, was very thorough and well written.

By the time dinner hit, Harry was extremely exhausted. He forced his way through dinner and went straight to bed. Unbeknownst to him, it was about the same time that Ron was getting up Sunday morning to start his morning training.

* * *

'I don't know if I'll ever get used to getting up early. I even slept in a little today. It's already 7:30. I wonder why Ginny didn't come wake me up. I hope she's feeling better today. I should have checked on her yesterday after she ran out of the kitchen like that. She seemed better at supper, but was still really quiet and went straight up to her room. Probably writing to Dean again.' He thought as he made a face of disgust.

Ron had moved into one of the larger bedrooms by complaining that the other one was too small for both he and Harry and that he couldn't stand the portrait of Phineas. In truth, he had only wanted a larger space to do his exercises in the morning.

He did his exercises and sword motions for about a half an hour before Ginny slipped into the room to join him.

"Feelin better?" he asked

"What? Oh...ya. Much thanks." responded Ginny.

"Let's go down to breakfast and then we can start on the potion. We'll have to start it today if we want it to be finished by the time we leave on Tuesday since it takes 30 hours." said Ron.

Ginny had completely forgotten about the potion. Their visit last week to Diagon Alley had been a productive one. They were able to distract their mother enough to let Ron run off and get most of the ingredients they needed to brew the animagus potion. They had only been missing two ingredients and someone to enchant the parchment.

The last two ingredients were a breeze, if not a little more expensive then they would have liked: Mundungus had his uses. They were now ready to brew and Ron had a good idea who he was going to get to cast the charm on the paper. Who better then someone whose best friends had all become illegal animagi. Now he just had to get Remus alone.

On their way down to breakfast Ginny noticed Remus in the study, so she elbowed her brother. Ron sent her off to the kitchen to keep people away and approached Remus.

"Good morning Professor." greeted Ron in an unnaturally pleasant tone.

'Especially for this hour of the morning' thought Remus. "Morning."

"A lovely day isn't it?" inquired Ron

"Alright, what do you want?"

Ron's smile switched quickly from pleasant to worried back to pleasant again.

"What makes you think I want anything?"

"You have to try something different next time. You're using the same opening lines as your brothers when they're trying to get me to join them on one of their pranks. So? What is it you want?"

"Well..." Ron was trying to thin of the best way to put this "I was wondering if you could charm a few sheets of paper for me. I can't cast spells out side of school after all and I thought you'd be an excellent person to do this for me."

"Why me? Why not ask your mother or father? I won't ask why you don't ask your brothers, that's just common sense."

"Well…to be honest, I don't think they would if I asked them." said Ron matter of factly.

"And why is that? What charm do you want me to cast on them anyway?" asked a curious Remus

"_acclaro__ intimus animalis_"

"I see. And why? Why should I do this for you. What makes facing the wrath of your mother worth it?" asked Remus

"To help Harry." answered Ron honestly.

'wow...wasn't expecting that one' thought a surprised Remus.

He lowered his head and thought for a minute. He then raised his eyes to meet Ron's.

"Ok. I'll do it. On one condition." added Remus

"What's that?" asked Ron both relieved and a bit worried at what the stipulation might be.

"You let me be the first one to see it." he requested with a mischievous grin.

"You're on. Of course, you'll have to be the third or fourth. I'll be working with Ginny, and when Hermione and Harry get here they'll be joining us if they want to.

"I guess I can live with that. Do you have the necessary things? Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"Nope, but that would have been a lot easier." said Ron laughing "we have everything we need and were going to start brewing the potion after breakfast. Actually," said Ron, thinking of something, "do you know a good place to brew it? Where we won't get caught?"

"You're best bet is probably the attic, no one ever goes up there." suggested Remus.

"What about Kreacher? Won't he be snooping around up there?"

"I don't think you'll have to worry about Kreacher anymore."

Ron looked confused, "why not? Did someone kill him?"

"You see, the Black family was a paranoid group of wizards who had no qualms about using Dark Magic. This is nothing new to you, right?"

Ron nodded his head in agreement.

"That being said, they were always suspicious of other families and worried about spies and the like. They felt once someone married out of the Black name, they were no longer entitled to the Black secrets nor the Black possessions. They were also paranoid about the loyalty of their slaves. Kreacher was bound not only through traditional house elf customs, but also through ancient dark slavery magic. When Kreacher had heard that the last Black was dead, the magic kicked in and lead him to commit suicide. No other master but the Blacks. I guess it doesn't help that Sirius had finally found a way to remove and destroy the portrait of his mother. Kreacher couldn't fool himself into believing he was following her orders anymore."

"Oh." was about all Ron could say. He wasn't upset at all that Kreacher was dead, but he did feel sorry for the spells on him and the slavery he had to…

'Oh no. I better not let Hermione hear me talking like this. I'd never hear the end of it.' he thought as he shook his head.

They both went down to breakfast after agreeing to meet back up in Ron's room afterwards.

* * *

The clock read 9:50 by the time they got started, and it was at this time that a groggy eyed Harry was waking after a full night's rest.

After fumbling for his glasses Harry checked the clock: 5:20

'No wonder I'm so refreshed. I slept for over nine hours.' He thought as he started preparing for the day ahead.

Training went as expected, leaving Harry dragging his feet to breakfast. His morning run was now taking place out in the garden, or park as Harry liked to call it. It was over four times the size of the park in Little Whinging, but the curious thing about it was that it was separated into 4 distinct sections. Each of these four section was at a different point in the seasonal cycle. As a result, one quarter of the park was presently in the middle of summer, another in the middle of spring and so on. The track around the park was at a constant temperature, and that's what Harry had used, but it was definitely weird to be running in a comfortable temperature and see snow on the ground less the three feet away. The weirdest part of that, however, was to see the lake at the center with only one quarter of it was frozen solid.

Harry's biggest surprise that day, however, was to be found in potions. He had never realized how much he could enjoy that class. It had not been a fluke that he had found the O.W.L. exam so easy. He did have a natural talent in it and it helped Petrius was very encouraging and extremely helpful. Once Harry got over the usual dread he felt when surrounded by cauldrons and ingredients, he found it to be almost as easy as riding his broom.

Harry explained his reading skills and spells to Horass and Joseph in his Magical Law and Etiquette class and they both applauded his initiative in finding and applying them, telling him that this made their jobs so much easier. By the end of the class, Harry had finished 2 tomes on magical laws and discussed them with Horass, and they even had time to go over some points of wizard dining etiquette. Harry was confused when he saw 4 forks, 3 spoons, 3 knives and a small cauldron ladle at the formal wizard place setting, but after some explaining it had started to make some sense…some.

Dueling went much better then etiquette. Here Harry felt like a bird in the sky, not a fish out of water. All four of his teachers, Fredric, Godric, David and Earnest, were very impressed at their young Heir's abilities. Their main goals now were to expand his spell repertoire and work on tactics.

The next few days went on in a similar fashion. He reviewed his materials, did some casual reading in the evenings and basically crammed as much information as possible into his head. By the end of the fifth day, Harry thought his brain was going to explode from the shear volume of information he had crammed into it over the last few days. He had finished his first 4 day cycle and was presently finished reviewing his second year material in potions, charms and transfiguration. The others he was just playing by ear since they didn't seem to follow any kind of pattern, at least none he could notice.

After his physical training on the 5th day, Grodric met him at breakfast.

"The potion is ready."

"What potion?" asked a confused and rather weary Harry after 3 hours of physical activity.

"The one you started 5 days ago, to see if you're an animagus. Actually, it has been done for a couple of days now, but we didn't want to disrupt your studies. Since you've been doing much better then any of us had anticipated however, and I mean any of us, we thought we'd give let you check today, and then, if you can transform, let you start working on that today instead of your regular lessons. If you don't mind of course."

"Mind? I'd love a break!" sighed an exasperated Harry "I mean..."

Godric started laughing "I know what you mean Harry. You've taken in quite a lot over the last 4 days, like I said, more then we thought you could. I think you could use a couple of days to let it sit before we continue. After you're done breakfast, meet me in Horass' room."

After breakfast he bolted upstairs to Horass' room all the time wondering what he would be. A stag like his father? A big black dog like Sirius? Could he dare hope to be a multianimagus and have both? As long as he wasn't a rat, he really didn't care what he would become, if he became anything. Shaking the doubt out of his head, he continued at a hurried pace.

"Good morning Harry. Are you ready?" asked Horass.

"Yep, what do I do?"

"First, we need a piece of you, a hair will work just fine. Now put that in the potion and stir it 5 times clockwise then 6 times counterclockwise." He waited for Harry to complete the task. "Good. Let the potion sit. Watch me, copy these wand movements and repeat after me _acclaro__ intimus animalis_." Harry did both without any problems. "Excellent, now I want you to cast that charm on that piece of parchment over on the desk."

Harry went over to the desk, and charmed the paper.

"Bring the cauldron over to the table, and put 10 drops of it on the parchment."

Harry followed the portrait's instructions and waited. The paper started to glow a faint bluish white and rose in the air about a foot about the desk, then it started to fold in on itself. Cho had once shown him origami, the Chinese are of paper folding, and even showed him how to make a swan, and this reminded him of that. The paper folded itself into what appeared to be a bird, that bird quickly burst into flames and then emerged again from the ashes. Then, the paper started to fold again, this time it became a cat like creature that seemed to be covered in spots, with large ears and a lion like tail, but the paper wasn't done yet. Next, it folded itself into a horse, from the mid section up at least. The bottom half seemed to be that of a fish. Then the paper unfolded itself and again lay flat on the desk with the Latin names of each of the creatures written on it.

Harry was confused, and he wasn't the only one.

"Three? And magical at that!" said Godric who had entered the portrait as Harry had been placing the drops of potion on the sheet. "Harry, you've don't it again. No one has EVER had 3 forms, not to mention multiple _magical_ forms. Even I only had two, a Phoenix and a lion, and only one of them was magical."

"Um...Godric? What were they? I'm guessing the first was a phoenix, but what were the other two?"

"You're right Harry. The first was a phoenix. The second one is called a kneazle, at least that's I what think it was." he said looking over to Horass who was nodding in agreement. "And the third was a Hippocampus. As you saw its half horse half fish. Hippocampi are strong animals, prized by merpeople as steeds and pets."

"Ok, Now I'm confused. Isn't the animagus form of a wizard supposed to mirror the traits of that wizard? If that's so, then how come I have 3 forms? And why are they all so different?"

"They aren't as different as you might think, Harry. Each of these animals have common traits. For example: They are all considered light creatures, they are all very loyal and caring, not to mention they are all magical creatures. This shows that you are a very magical wizard, which we already knew, who is loyal and caring, big surprise there, and is a strong force for the light."

Then Horass cut in. "Aside from those common traits, the phoenix is considered the head of light creatures. The lightest of the light. As you are the one going up against the darkest of the dark, this makes sense. The kneazle is very intelligent with the innate ability to distinguish weather or not a person is trustworthy and is very protect of their masters and friends. The hippocampus is arguably the most loyal creature you will ever met. There have been tales of them guarding their fallen riders till the death, or even sacrificing themselves to save their rider. They are also very helpful. Many are the legend, but muggle and magical, of drowning sailors of a shipwreck being saved by these magnificent fishlike horses." he concluded.

"Harry, if anything, you should see this as something to be proud of. You have been chosen as a human representative to each one of these types of creatures, since in reality that is what you are. If you ever meet others of your species when you are transformed, you will understand what I am trying to tell you. They will look up to you as one of their leaders _and_ as an ambassador to the humans: as one completely of both worlds. All creatures are able to see one of their own, even if the wizard or witch is not yet aware that they are an animagus. That is probably the reason that Fawkes always come to you when you enter Dumbledore's office. He knew what you were even though you did not. And I must say that I am proud that you are a phoenix like myself. I can think of no other I would rather have continuing the legacy."

"Thank you." Harry smiled at the thought of belonging, and being accepted. He looked forward to testing Godric's theory out one day.

"Now! Let's get to work." said Godric. "With the proper training, which you will receive here since every single one of us have become animagi, the process should take about a month. Since you're working on three forms, however, the process might take a bit longer. The first thing you'll have to do is study the anatomy and behaviour of each creature. The second is the actual transformation. The third, which will be the most difficult, is that you will have to find at least one of each of the creatures you will be transforming into, and in the form of that species, you must spend 3 days and nights with that creature. Understand?"

"Yes. I'll go to the library now and start the research." said Harry with excitement.

After Harry had left, Horass turned to Godric who was still smiling at Harry's enthusiasm and said, "Godric, I was thinking. Phoenix, kneazle and hippocampus. Air, land and sea. You don't think..."

At this Godric's smile vanished and was replaced by a thoughtful look. "I never thought of that Horass. He has already found the sword. This should be looked into."

"I'll get right on it."

"Thank you Horass." Replied Godric as he left the portrait, walking at a determined pace.

* * *

**AN:** All the spells I am creating are taken from a loose Latin translation. I will admit that I have no idea what tense of the word I am using half the time, but I am sure that the words mean what I say they do. I love online dictionaries. :)

Acclaro - reveal  
Magus - magical  
Adnexus - binding, connection  
Lectionis - reading  
ex adyto cordis – from the bottom of the heart  
intimus – inner most, inmost  
animalis - animal

Thank you to all of my reviewers:

**David 305 and** **Windwisperer,** **Athena Kitty,** **Scott, Rathien1, Goldilocks, Keldore, Iluvatar, Destined Enchantress,** **kungzone****, Phat Paul, the DragonBard, Potter Reader,****gaul1, joe, chaser1, Captain Jack Sparrow 1.**

Thank you all. And here I thought I'd have no one reading ;)

Farfumsane


	10. Getting Organized

**Disclaimer:**

The world is Hers  
As are the characters.  
The plot is mine  
But I do not make a dime.

**Chap 9: Getting Organized**

The rest of Harry's day was spent devouring books on anatomy. He had found 7 that spoke of kneazles, 4 on hippocampi but only 1 on phoenix'. Apparently even that one was hypothetical and based on revealing spells since no one had ever seen a dead phoenix much less be able to dissect one. Most of the information had been gathered from wizards who had been fortunate enough to find themselves chosen by a phoenix as a friend. Harry was a little worried about this, but decided to try anyways. Multiple wizards had cast the same revealing spells on various phoenix' and came up with the same findings so the information was, apparently, accurate.

Breaking only briefly for lunch, Harry had had been able to get through all the books long before supper, so he decided to continue his reading on the transformation process that he had begun earlier that week. At dinner he would ask Godric what came next and how soon he could get started on it.

He had completed 5 of the 12 books on the theory by the time he went down for supper.

"Godric," said Harry upon arriving in the dining hall, "I was wondering when I could start with the transformation since I've completely researched all my forms."

"Pardon me?" asked a bewildered William, "I thought you said he just found them out this morning?" turning to Godric.

"He did," reassured Godric "But young Harry here decided to take it upon himself to learn a few speed reading and comprehension spells. And let me tell you, it has made our jobs a whole lot easier." Then, facing Harry, he asked, "Are you sure you know all about their anatomy?"

"Everything we had on them in the library anyways." responded Harry confidently. "You can test me if you like."

"Ok." replied Matthias.

After half an hour of questions from Matthias on Hippocampi and kneazles, and an additional 15 minutes of questions on phoenix anatomy from Godric, they were all convinced he knew these creatures inside and out...literally.

It was Matthias who put out the first suggestion. "Since this partial falls under my domain, he can work on it during my magical creature's time. He's pretty much reviewed everything up to fifth year with me because of his reading skills. Unlike the rest of his classes, there isn't any practical aspect, so we've been able to shoot ahead of every other subject."

"That sounds good to me." answered Godric. "William will be helping you with your animagus training since he was one of the few of us to become a multi-animagus. He'll be able to help explain how to separate the animals in your mind, and while you're transforming. Since you essentially have 3 animals inside you trying to get out, you'll have to be able to control all three and call on the one you want when you need him."

"I've already read his book on the subject, it was one of the theory books I was able to read before I came down for dinner. But I would still welcome advice for my personal situation. I'm sure Matthias' knowledge about these creatures would make him invaluable in understanding their psyche as well."

"You have read my book. That sounds like some of the long winded jargon I used to pass off as educated writing." he said with a chuckle as the rest of the portraits there joined in. There were only a half a dozen of them present this evening.

"Godric, why is it that John hasn't been teaching me anything? I was going to ask about William too, but now that he is, it doesn't seem necessary." Asked Harry curiously

"Well Harry, to be honest, the reason we haven't had him teach you anything was to keep you focused. We need you to review the material quickly and with as little distractions as possible. We thought, John and I that is, that his presence might distract you since he's a direct link to your father. Being that you never got a chance to find out who he was, John thought it best that he not teach you right away to avoid you getting distracted by asking a lot of questions about your dad. We didn't bring it up for the same reason. We didn't want to distract you, but since you asked, I answered." answered Godric truthfully.

"That makes sense I guess. Thank you. I'll have to go talk to him sometime. You were right, that probably would have distracted me a little." said Harry thoughtfully.

Changing the topic, Thomas spoke up "I have a suggestion for you Harry. I know you told your friends to meet you outside the mansion at 9am their time, but I was wondering if you didn't want to leave a note telling them to come back at eleven. There is method to my madness." he said with a small smile. "You see, eleven o'clock am is one for the 3 times in their day that our times co-inside. As a result eleven here will be eleven there tomorrow and as such, their body won't notice a large time difference and wont need to adjust."

Harry looked confused, as he always did when they started talking about the time difference thing, and he vowed to do more research on that in the coming days so he understood it better.

Entering his portrait, John spoke up, "I believe the muggles call it jet lag, Harry."

That Harry understood. "So you're saying they won't feel tired, or that it's a different time, because it won't be?"

"Exactly!" answered a happy Thomas "besides, this also means that you'll have time to do your physical training session tomorrow morning before the arrive." he added with a grin.

Harry groaned, "Ok. I know it's important that I do it everyday. I'll get Stewy to leave couple of notes on Sirius' bed for them."

Harry went back up to his room, wrote the notes and called for Stewy.

"You called Harry, sir?"

"Yes Stewy, Could you please put these two notes on the bed in the room outside the main door so that my two friends can find them when they come in the morning?"

"Yes sir Harry, sir. Stewy will be doing that, no problem at all." he replied practically coming apart at the seams in anticipation of doing something for Harry.

Harry chuckled at Stewy's enthusiasm. 'Like father like son.'

"Thank you Stewy. By the way, how have you been? I haven't really had a chance to talk with you since I got here. How are you adjusting to having me around?" asked Harry.

"Stewy is doing much better now that he has a master again. It is nice to work, and clean and things, but it much more nicer to be able to do things for a mater who cares for Stewy and asks how Stewy is doing." he answered with a large smile.

"That's good to hear Stewy. I was wondering if you could give me a more in depth tour of the mansion tomorrow morning after my physical training session. I know you showed me the two long corridors upstairs, but isn't there a basement to this place? Or did you cover everything the first time."

"Yes sir, you are right sir, there is more. The dungeon is very big, but the dungeon is not used for much anymore. Just storage. And Stewy does not want to correct Mas...I mean Harry, but the two long corridors you said I showed you is actually two high towers. They is just looking like to be long corridors because they curve around and go up slightly, so master Godric made them magical to look like long corridors so people wouldn't get tired waling up long slanted hallways."

"Wow...so those are really towers. What's at the top of the towers?"

"Well sir...Harry. At the top of one is a room with stars and star maps and long tubes with glass on the ends. Stewy is not sure what they is for. Stewy is not going in there except to dust and make sure it is clean."

"What about the other tower? Anything up there?"

"Stewy is not being sure Harry. Stewy is not thinking there is anything there, Stewy has never been up there if there is..." Stewy got a really worried look on his face "It must be dirty. Stewy has never cleaned it, it must be lots of dirt all over. Oh no. Stewy is sorry master, Stewy will go and clean it right away..."

"Stewy! Stop!" said Harry in a stern voice. "My name is Harry, not master. I'll keep reminding you til you remember." He said with a slight grin "and as for that room, if there is one, since no one has ever told you to clean it, I will assume it's not all that important. So just forget I mentioned it, and got put those letters out in the room for me." he added with a smile.

"Yes Harry. Right away. Stewy is sorry for over reacting."

"Don't be sorry Stewy, it seems to run in the family. At least you didn't break my arm with a bludger." he said laughing at the expression on Stewy's face.

"Dobby broke master's arms with a bludger? Bad Dobby! Harry is a good wizard! Why would Dobby..."

Harry laughed again "Relax Stewy, relax. It was just a mistake. Remember, everyone's allowed to make mistakes. We worked it out and he's still my friend. And always will be, as will you." he added with a reassuring smile. "Someday when I have a little more time I'll tell you some stories about things you're father has done, but not tonight. I still have some reading to do before bed. And you have a couple of letters to deliver." he said, motioning to the two letters in Stewy's hands.

"Yes Harry. Stewy will be doing that now. Is there anything else Harry would like _after_ Stewy has delivered the notes?"

"No Stewy, thanks. If I do need anything I'll call you or even go get it myself. Thanks for asking."

After Stewy left, Harry settled in and continued reading where he had left off before dinner. He finished another 2 theory books before heading off to bed. Eventhough his morning wouldn't be as early as he had initially feared, it would still be too early for Harry's liking.

* * *

"Two hours? He wants us to wait two hours? What are we supposed to do til then. We can't very well go out into the house and then come back. It was hard enough to sneak in here with no one noticing us the first time." complained a grumpy Tonks. "Not to mention I had to wake up at seven to get all my things together." 

Remus just laughed. "I thought you were an auror. Did you have to get up at the ungodly hour of five every morning during your two years of training?"

"Yeah...but I haven't had to do that for over a year now. I've gotten used to sleeping in since I've been on leave."

"Why don't you take a nap? There's a bed there, I'm sure Harry or I will be able to wake you when he gets here."

"No thanks you! I don't even want to THINK of what Harry would do if he found me sleeping. That is one devious young man we're talking about. I know we have a truce going, but that would just be too tempting for even _me_ to pass up."

"What?" asked the confused werewolf.

Tonks proceeded to tell Remus about their little war, leaving out some of the more embarrassing moments...well some of _her_ more embarrassing moments anyways.

After the stories, they decided to play some wizard's chess to kill time until Harry showed up.

* * *

By the time the clock finally sounded nine in the Room of Requirement to signal the end of his morning training, Harry had been spent. They had started weight training a couple of days ago, and today's workout was geared towards his arms. 

After breakfast Harry asked Stewy for a tour of the dungeons, to see exactly what was down there, and see if there was anything he could do with it himself.

When he got down there he was shocked to see it all wide open. Sure it was cluttered, but it was all wide open with the exception of the occasional support pillar. Harry started to get an idea about what he wanted to do with this space when he started to notice some of the items lying around. They looked very familiar. Walking up to them, Harry could swear that theses where the weight set he had been using that morning in the Room of Requirement . Turning around, he noticed the desk that he had been sitting at during his lessons. Scratching his head, Harry continued looking through the many items. He knew what he wanted to do with this large space, the question now was: How?

'I'll have to read a couple of books in the library, but I think this'll be doable. I just don't know what to do with all this stuff.' he thought to himself.

He made his way back upstairs with Stewy at the same time telling him about how Dobby had helped him during the second task. Stewy was proud of his father's dedication to his friend, and told Harry how much he was looking forward to meeting him.

Harry then went to his room, showered and got ready to meet his guests. He started planning a possible prank on them when he remembered that he and Tonks had called a truce so he decided to hold off until the truce was over...or until he could no longer help himself.

The clock read 10:45pt (Potter time) whenHarry got down to the entrance hall and so he decided to make his grand entrance.

* * *

"You're CHEATING!" cried Tonks. "There is NO way you could beat me 6 times in a row and not be." 

Remus just chuckled. "It's not that hard actually." He taunted. "You have a bad habit of looking at the move your going to be making a round in advance, not to mention you're face constantly betrays how you feel about my moves. Didn't you noticed how I pretended to move more then once just to see your reaction?"

Tonks was at a loss for words now. Sure she sucked at poker, that wasn't a big secret, but chess? She usually won.

"I want a rematch!" she stated adamantly.

"If you really wanna lose again _that_ badly, who am I refuse." To witch Tonks just stuck out her tongue as she replaced her pieces.

Remus heard it first due to his heightened senses, then Tonks too heard the audible click from the closet as well. They both jumped up, drew their wands and trained them on the closet door.

The door opened slowly, and they quickly brought some good offensive spells to mind. A second later they saw him, it was...

"Harry?" asked Remus. "you should learn _not_ to try and sneak up on a werewolf, it's just not safe."

"Sorry." muttered Harry as the other two put away their wands.

"Remus is right, I applaud your bravery at 'coming out of the closet' like that, but you could have found a better audience to come out to." added Tonks with a wink.

Harry reddened slightly. "Hey! I thought we had a truce! And here I was refraining from getting you. Well fine, if _that's_ the way you're going to be, we can just call this truce off."

Remus chuckled, and Tonks apologized. "No, no. You're right. I'm sorry. If we're going to be accomplishing anything at training, it would be best if we avoid constant distraction."

"Funny, that just what Godric was telling me yesterday." said Harry chuckling to himself.

"Who?" asked Remus.

"Don't worry. You'll meet him at lunch. You'll meet everyone at lunch today." answered Harry cryptically with a knowing smile.

"I know that look." added Tonks "He _does_ have something planned. Now I don't feel so bad for getting you earlier."

"You'll see, and no, it's not a prank, and it's not embarrassing. In the least, you'll be surprised, at the most, you'll be unconscious in shock. I personally hope your reaction is somewhere in between."

"Hooo." cried Hedwig from on top of the armoir in the corner.

"Hedwig." smiled Harry caringly as he extended his arm for her to rest on. "It's good to see you girl. You're going to be coming with us for a couple of days. I'll have to let you out every now and then to get mail for me though."

"Oh, that reminds me. Professor Dumbledore told me yesterday that he would be placing all the mail you receive here in Sirius' room on the bed instead of keeping it at Hogwarts for you. And he told me to tell you that your O.W.L. results will be arriving in a week or so." said Remus.

"Brilliant! I'll just send Stewy out to get it every now and then."

"Who?" asked Tonks this time.

"You'll see. My, my, you have no patience at all do you." answered Harry with a laugh. He looked down at the watch. The watch had been his great, great, great grandfather's, or simply Matthias', and had been left in the Potter Mansion by John. With a tap of his wand, it displayed the time in pt and then another tap told him the real time.

"Time to go." said Harry as he turned to the closet and opened it again.

Tonks and Remus looked at each other questioningly. "Um Harry. That's the closet."

Harry sighed. "You _are_ the observant one. Aren't you Tonks?" he said as he smiled wryly. "The portal to where we are going is in here, and we have to go now. So stop stalling and follow me." he finished as he entered the closet, and opening the door to Potter Mansion, he walked in with Hedwig on his arm.

Remus shrugged and followed Harry wordlessly. Then Tonks just shook her head and did the same.

* * *

The headmaster looked up as he heard the soft knock on his study door. Looking at the top of his desk, smiled and then muttered '_abscondo_' as he waved his hand over it. 

"Yes Dobby, please come in."

Dobby entered nervously with his hat being wrung in his small hands.

"What can I do for you today Dobby?"

"Master Dumbledore, sir. Dobby is wondering how Harry Potter is doing? The young elf who is coming was looking very upset sir."

"Harry is doing very well Dobby. Do not worry." The headmaster noticed that Dobby wasn't making any movement to leave, he smiled himself as he realized that this was probably not the main reason he had come to visit the headmaster this day. "Was there anything else Dobby?"

"Well...Yes sir...this is ...hard to ask, sir. But as the young elf was leaving, sir, you called him Stewy. Dobby is knowing an elf named Stewy and Dobby is wondering if maybe it is being the same one, sir."

"Ah, I see. Well Dobby, to answer your question, Yes, his name was Stewy, and yes, it was your son." said the Headmaster as he smiled widely, with a bright twinkle in his eye, at the house elf before him.

Dobby's demeanor went from nervous to ecstatic to worried in what seemed to be only a fraction of a second. Dobby turned, having received the information he was looking for, and made to leave the office.

The headmaster smiled again and called him back. "Dobby," Dobby turned to face the Headmaster, and Dumbledore continued "I have somewhere to go this afternoon, and I was wondering if you would be able to assist me. It would seem that I have quite a large amount of material that I will be needing to transport, and due to the nature of this material, I will not be able to shrink it. Would you be so kind as to meet me up here at 4 o'clock this afternoon in order to assist me?"

"Yes master Dumbledore sir. Dobby would be most pleased to be helping." he said with a brief forced smile as he again turned and left the room.

Dumbledore waved his hand over his desk, quietly said '_Denudo_' and went back to reviewing the intricate charts and diagram before him that were Hogwarts defenses before he was to go over them with Godric.

* * *

"WHERE IS HE! It's been two days and I can't feel him anywhere. I was so close, SO CLOSE!" yelled an angry Lord Voldemort. "_CRUCIO_" He yelled in frustration as another one of his followers crumple to the floor in wailing fits of agony. 

"My Lord, we...we know not. Our sp...spies on Privet drive tell us that they haven't seen him leave, and b...both of our operatives within the Order of the Phoenix are un...unaware of his whereabouts." replied a frantic Wormtail as he babbled on attempting to sound intelligent and important enough so that his master would spare him the pain he was currently doling out on others. But unfortunately, his attempts were all for not.

"_CRUCIO!_" cried his lord and master and soon his senses were flooded with a pain that can only be described as every single one of the nerve endings in your body being rubbed simultaneously with very coarse sand paper and then being lit on fire.

"I have no desire to hear mindless blathering, you sorry excuse for a death eater. The only reason I have not ended your pathetic existence, is that I am still grateful for your assistance in my resurrection. But rest assured when I say that my gratitude for that is almost at an end, as will your life be when that day comes. Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT and get me ANSWERS. NOT MORE EXCUSES!" yelled the Dark Lord.

Getting up quickly, Wormtail bowed and scampered out of the room as quickly as his legs would carry him.

'I came so close. I had planted another vision in that sorry boy's head and all I had to do was wait. He should have run outside, or gotten to the burrow somehow. My death eaters were lying in wait at both sites waiting for him, but he never came. And now I cannot even reach him over this mind link."

As Lord Voldemort continued to ponder this new development, a large, ancient looking snake entered the room.

_Ah, Nagani. What newsss do you bring from your cousinsss of the boysss disappearance._ Asked Voldemort in series of hisses.

_My Lord. They sssay that thossse watching the boy are no longer around. The Watchersss all left Sssaturday morning and none have been back sssince. _Replied the large beast in hisses of her own. _They have not ssseen nor heard anything about the young one sssince._

_Very well. Have them continue their sssearch and report to me if they find anything elssse. You may go. _He hissed halfheartedly as he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

'Harry Potter. Where are you!'

* * *

Looking around in awe and wonderment, Remus was the first to recover and speak. "Harry Potter. Where are we?" 

Harry quickly gave Hedwig to Stewy, who had been awaiting their arrival, to bring to the park. After watching Stewy leave, he turned to face His guests. Smiling widely, as Stewy had once done for him, he waved his arm much as Vanna White does on that game show, and said "Welcome to Potter Mansion."

* * *

The Dark robed wizard made his way inconspicuously through Knockturn Alley weaving and winding, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. This wasn't his first visit, to this particular store, and it, more likely then not, wouldn't be his last. Entering 'Bloodquill's Bookstore' he made his way to the counter and with a quick nod form the shop keeper, he entered the back room. He went straight over to the set of boxes on the right and checked out his purchase. 

"Ye sure ye know what ye're doin'?" asked the shop keeper who'd joined him seconds before. "Teachin d'em brats this stuff? Ye know e'll not be happy if 'e finds out."

"Then nobody better tell him, had they?" stated the dark robed man as more of an order then a question. "I'll be giving it to them in secret, and if I play my cards right, they wont tell anyone about it, not even their parents." he added with a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"But ye got enough 'ere t'give one to every student ,O.W.L. age 'n' up."

"That's he plan. Look. I paid you to get them quietly and also to keep quiet afterwards. You let something about this slip and it won't just be my job I'll have to worry about. Understand?"

"Oh, I understand. Ye've brought me many a galleon in the past, an' I look forward to future dealin with ye. I can 'ardly keep dealin with ye if ye'r in Azkaban or worse now can I!" he said with a wry, but friendly, grin.

With a quick wave of his wand the 5 boxes of books were shrunk, ad he placed them in his pockets. He nodded to the shop keep and then left without another word being spoken.

* * *

"What?" asked a bewildered Tonks. 

"HEY! Wait a second! I KNOW this place. I've been here before." declared Remus.

Now it was Harry's turn to be confused. "What? How could you have been here. Dad was never able to open it."

"I know I've been here before, it smells identical to the place your father, Sirius, Peter and I stayed in when we went with your grandparents to Egypt. Except, it wasn't decorated quite like this." he said motioning to the large Potter emblem Displayed above the door to Potter Hall.

"You are correct young mater Lupin." came a voice from their left.

They turned to see a rather small house elf precariously balancing a portrait two times his size of John Potter.

"Mr. Potter?" asked a now shocked Remus. Tonks, who hadn't spoke since her early question that had gone unanswered, remained silent and tried to take everything in.

"Yes Remus. But please, call me John. I am after all just a portrait and not you best friend's father." said John with a slight chuckle. "I am surprised at your memory, of course I shouldn't be, not with your heightened senses and all. This is indeed the 'summer home' you stayed at when we went to visit Egypt. A few spells, and a very hard working House elf was able to hide most of the distinguishing features of this place from you during your visit." Stewy smiled at the praise, but the smile disappeared quickly as he tried to steady the portrait again before it fell out of his hands

"So this is a dimensional building? Incredible. No wonder it just reeked with magic, we were actually in the magical dimension." said Remus to himself with the smile that one gets after finally solving a long time mystery.

"Excuse me, who are you?" asked Tonks, finally breaking her contemplative silence.

"Ah, I see introductions are in order. Stewy! Keep me steady please." said John as his portrait swayed left then straightened out again. Harry ran over to help Stewy keep it properly balanced.

"Why aren't you just levitating it?" Harry asked Stewy quietly behind the portrait so as not to embarrass the elf for not thinking of something so simple.

"OH, You can't do that Mas...Harry. The portraits is having protection from magic spells on them. No spells can be cast on them sir."

Remus, having heard the explanation decided to cut in "is there a better place we could discuss this? I would like an explanation too, and I have a feeling poor Stewy's arms will fall off before things can be covered in full." he said, as he smiled to Stewy

Stewy smiled back, and Harry suggested they make their way to the study next door. Once there, John could give them the short explanation before they meet everyone else at lunch an hour later.

Harry quickly transfigured one of the chairs into an easel large enough to accommodate John's painting, and then helped Stewy pull chairs up for everyone.

"Harry should not be doing this. This is Stewy's job. Harry should be sitting with his guests." chastised Stewy.

"Stewy, I might be your master, but this is my house, and these are my guests too. I want to do everything I can to make them comfortable. And just so you know, I will rarely ask you to do something for me that I can do myself. I'm not lazy, nor am I pampered. All my life I had to get what I needed for myself, I'm not going to be changing my ways anytime soon. Besides, a little work builds character." explained Harry.

Remus, having over heard the conversation, decided to add his two cents, "Come on Harry, Maybe Stewy's right. You're enough of a character as it is." he said with a wolfish grin.

Tonks giggled lightly at the well placed pun, and John laughed heartily. Even Stewy seemed to get it as he laughed along.

Dejectedly, Harry just sighed and shook his head. "You know Moony, if you keep telling bad jokes like that, I'll have to ask you to leave my home." he said, his mouth finally breaking into a smile of his own.

They all laughed a little more, and Harry even got Stewy to sit with them for John's explanation, after he had gotten them all something to drink of course.

A little under an hour later, Remus and Tonks were up to speed. Well...as up to speed as they could be without a more in-depth explanation. John was going to have to get Godric to explain the time difference thing to them himself. He never did truly understand it.

They were surprised, to say the least, that all this came into being from one small puzzle cube. Harry took this time to thank them in earnest for giving it to them when they did. It most likely saved his life. He then told them the story of the dream and how his uncle had entered his room afterwards with less then pure intentions. Remus was not impressed with their behaviour and was about to offer is assistance in 'talking' with them, until he found out that Professor Dumbledore already had and decided that would probably be enough.

Stewy had left midway through the talk to go finish preparing lunch. It was at this time that he returned to invite them to meet the other members of the house, and to join them for lunch. Of course 'joining them for lunch' was just a figure of speech, since portraits didn't eat, but they all knew what he meant.

'Didn't eat?' thought Harry, laughing to himself, 'I don't think Ron will ever want to be a portrait.'

Over lunch Remus and Tonks met all the other portraits. Tonks was mostly fascinated with Godric portrait and asked him a slew of questions about Hogwarts and the other founders. She found it all so fascinating. He, in turn, asked many questions about her metamorphmagus abilities and also what the aurors of this era were like.

Remus on the other had was surprised but extremely happy to meet Matthias. Not only was Matthias' area of expertise magic creatures, he was also the inventor of the wolfsbane potion for which Remus would be eternally grateful. It was this piece of Potter history that had first given Remus the courage to tell his friend James that he was a werewolf, and he would be eternally grateful for that too. He didn't want to think about how bad it would have been for him at Hogwarts had James and Sirius not stood with him, and helped him out.

After lunch, Harry took them on a brief tour of the castle, and then up to their rooms in the guest wing. After they un-shrunk their things and organized them in their rooms, they all went back down to Potter Hall to discuss the schedule for the coming two weeks/months.

They decided that Harry's schedule would remain the same until he had completely reviewed all of his Hogwarts materials up to and including his O.W.L. After that, they would break into more concentrated lessons consisting of his gifts, magical law and etiquette, dueling and of course, physical training.

Tonks and Remus would take turns helping during these lessons, and when they were not working with Harry, they were free to do whatever they liked. The other portraits even offered to help train them if there was anything they thought they needed to work on, or if something they found interesting came up.

Remus wanted to learn how to brew the wolfsbane potion from Matthias and also expressed an interest in spending time in the Potter's library during the rest of his spare time. Tonks, on the other hand, was interested in learning how to be an animagus. She never had enough time before, but this gave her a perfect opportunity to do it, while at the same time, keeping it out of the eyes of the ministry. A girl had to have _some_ secrets after all.

After scheduling was complete, they made their way to Horass' room to do the rest of the testing on Harry, and also to start Tonks' animagus potion.

Horass had Harry start by casting '_Acclaro__ Magus Adnexus_' on himself. This time, instead of blue to purple to red, it was more a purple to red to orange, cycle happening. His powers had not fully come into themselves yet. It would still take some time.

Remus performed the test on Harry for both Green thumb and beastspeaker, but Harry was capable of neither yet, as well as the test for some of the other non-Potter magics. And luckily they did, or they would have missed it.

It appeared as though Harry had another gift that was new to the Potter line. He showed a medium/high ability in the gift of Magic Drawing. Magic Drawing was pretty much the opposite of enchanting. With this gift, one could literally draw the magic out of an item that had been made magical. Either by setting the magic free, returning it to its rightful dimension, or increasing one's own personal magical abilities for a short time.

After the testing, they bid all in the portrait good night and headed out to their rooms. Harry was about to head off to his own room when Remus remembered Sirius' will and invited Harry in to his room so that they could go over it quickly.

"This is hard for me Harry, I know it's hard for you too, but it has to be done eventually." started Remus.

"I know, Moony. Let's get this over with."

"The will is complicated. Well...not the will itself, but the things surrounding the will. He's still a convict according to the ministry, and since there's no body, there's no way of proving he's dead. We've tried existing spells, but they have been un-helpful. So Albus has decided to let the terms of his will stand within the order, and when his name is cleared, and death can be proven, the terms of the will will come to light in the public eye."

Harry just nodded in understanding, not trusting himself to speak. He had come to terms with Sirius' death to a degree that he was no longer blaming himself for it, but that is still a far cry from accepting the death on the whole.

"Basically, he left the two of us everything. His houses, motorbike, everything." Looking over at Harry he noticed the boy's sadness. "I know you don't want it, and I know you'd give it all up in a second to have him back, but these were his wishes. He wanted to be able to be there for you Harry, for the rest of your life, and now since he can't, he wants to make sure that you at least want for nothing." he explained placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"There are two more things. First, this letter was enclosed. It's for you, from him." Harry wordlessly took the letter and stared at it for a second before placing it in his robe's pocket.

"I'll read it later." he said with a dull, monotone voice in an attempt to keep is emotions concealed.

"And the other thing was that he asked that I become your guardian and remain in control of the Black family assets until you reach the age of adulthood." After saying this, Remus became a little quiet and waited for a response from the young man before him. When he finally looked up and met Harry's eyes, he was surprised to see a small smile on his lips.

"I'd like that." Harry responded in with a genuine smile, but still showing through was the sadness of the event. "I can think of no one else I'd rather have as a guardian."At this, Remus smiled too.

"Then I think it's all covered. You'd better get to bed. From what you've told me, morning comes fast and hard around here." he said with a wink "But Tonks told me that she wanted you to wake her up early so that she could join you for training."

"Ok. I'll see you both tomorrow. G'night Moony."

"Goodnight Harrry." said Remus as Harry closed the door of the room behind him.

Lying back on his bed Remus wondered who was going to be more upset the next morning: Harry for having been mislead, or Tonks for being woken up that early without asking to be. Remus laughed to himself.

'Just because they have a truce going, doesn't mean that _I_ can't have some fun.'

* * *

**AN:** Thanks to all the reviewers out there. **stunlee200, Destined Enchantress, Iluvatar, gaul1, Potter Reader, chaser1, Lunawolf, hyper yo yo boy, Potterlvr1212, K.Knuckz, HarryReader, the DragonBard, ****grand**** griffon**, **athenakitty.**

And to all the other readers who haven't reviewed, thanks for reading. Hope you have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy this fic'o'mine.

Farfumsane


	11. Training Ends

**Disclaimer**: I am but a poor DJ trying to find comfort and solace in creating small corners in a world that does not belong to me. I get nothing from this but the satisfaction of realizing my imagination and the kind words from some of my readers.

**Datclaimer**: I have recently changed to rating of this fic. It is now a PG-13 rating. I know the nudity in this chap is minimal, and non-revealing, but I can't promise that future content will not be more graphic (I'm speaking of the fight scenes mostly) and so I thought it best to change it now, so as to reduce the risk of error on my part later on.

**Chap 10: Training Ends**

5:30 rolled around the next morning to find Harry already up and ready. He had been excited to finally be able to work with live people again. Not that the portraits weren't fun and entertaining, but it just wasn't the same as being able to physically interact with someone.

Harry was surprised at how he had grown to miss it. You'd think that not having had any for ten years would have made it easier to go without, but the opposite was in fact true. Ever since Harry's first year at Hogwarts, he had been walking down the road, the long road to emotional recovery. He was actually thankful for his summers in some ways. Every summer, Harry learned how much he missed his friends, and how much that kind of a relationship meant to him. This feeling of joy this morning just re-enforced it.

Stopping at Tonks' door, Harry knocked lightly and waited for an answer. After a little wait, he knocked again a little louder. Still nothing. Harry was starting to get a little irate. He didn't like being late, and if she didn't want to join him, then she shouldn't have told Remus to ask him to get her.

After his third knock wasn't answered, Harry decided to go in and wake her up himself. A quick '_alohomora_' opened it, and he made his way inside. Walking up to her bed he could tell she was still in it.

"HEY! WAKE UP!" he yelled playfully as with a swish of his wand, the covers went flying across the room to reveal a sleeping Tonks.

Luckily, she slept on her stomach.

Harry immediately turned an amazing shade of Gryffindor crimson as he quickly turned his back to the now groggy, slowly moving and completely naked Tonks.

"I...I...I'm s...sorry." stammered Harry.

Tonks slowly started to get up until she realized her state of undress, and the fact that another person, a _male_ person was in the room with her and she quickly pulled up the bottom sheet of the bed and wrapped it around herself.

"I...I d-didn't mean t-to. Oh my goodess. I'm s-so sorry Tonks."

Finally in control of her senses, and not completely incoherent, Tonks started into him "WHAT the _HELL _do you think you're DOING?"

Still not being able to turn and face her, he tried to explain. "I-I'm sorry...it's just that it was t-time for training...and Remus said you wanted to come...we were going to be late...so I ...tried to wake you...I didn't mean to..." But she cut of his stammering

"HE WHAT? Why that little..." She got up quickly and made her way to the dresser to get some clothes.

"I'm really sorry Tonks. I never meant to...you know...see you like..." but not finding the words, Harry just opted to shut up and wait for her to speak.

"That little mutt. He _knows_ what I think of mornings. He _knew_ you'd try to wake me. Oh don't worry Harry. I'm not as angry with you as I am with him right now." She was particularly upset at Remus apparently, and Harry, having found a little more courage then he probably should have at not being in trouble for this, dared to speak.

"What do you mean he _knows_ about how you don't like being woken up early. When has he had the opportunity to wake you?" he asked suggestively chancing a peak over his shoulder to see a reaction.

Bad idea.

"TURN AROUND" she yelled, pointing at him with one hand and trying to hold the now loose sheet against her body with the other. His head whipped back around so fast that he almost gave himself whiplash.

"I NEVER SAID YOU COULD LOOK! And DON"T think you're out of the woods on this one _buddy_, not by a long shot!" she said, quickly trying to get on a pair of shorts before Harry could chance another glance. 'hmph...teenage boys. Really!'

"And as for your 'suggestive question', he has never had the opportunity, nor will you ever again! I was just telling him yesterday how hard it was for me to get up in the mornings when I was waiting around for two hours before you came for us." she answered.

"I'm sorry." said Harry, apologizing again. "But I think I know of a way to make it up to you a little." he said, hoping to lighten her mood, and with that, her retaliation.

"I'm listening." she answered with curiosity.

"Well you see, I found a couple of spell in one of the books in the library the other day..."

* * *

Remus was sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden. "QUICK MOONY, GET UP! McGONAGALL'S COMING, WE HAVE TO HIDE!" 

'McGonagall? But I haven't done anything. Damn Prongs, it's probably his fault!' thought Moony still half asleep. But hearing the urgency in the person's voice he tossed his covers aside, jumped out of bed without thinking twice and made to run out of the room. Unfortunately for him, someone had seen fit to transfigure the stones around his bed into a moat. A moat full of ice cold water.

"AHHHHHH!" Was all he could yell when he came back up for air. Harry was laughing so hard he could no longer stand. Tonks on the other hand, had reacted much like Harry in her room this morning as she realized she was not the only person in this house to sleep in the buff.

"Oh Remus...I-I'm sorry" she started, which only made Harry laugh harder.

"You are ONE! DEAD! CUB!" he yelled at Harry as he tried to claw is way out of the pool surrounding his bed. Harry didn't want to be around when he finally got out so he ran out to the garden to begin his physical training session.

* * *

Harry was in the middle of his martial arts lesson during his physical training time when Stewy appeared. They had all decided to have him learn some of the major martial arts: kung fu, karate, tae kwon-do and even some ju jitsu. This would help his speed and balance and help him to focus both physically and mentally. 

"Harry, sir. You is having visitors." interrupted Stewy.

"Visitors? Who are they?"

"Professor Dumbley-dore, sir and a house elf."

"Thank you Stewy. What times is it?" asked Harry.

"It is being 7:30 in here, sir, and just after four in the outside, sir. Stewy is checking before coming up."

"Thank you Stewy. Please show them to my study and I'll be down in a couple of minutes."

"Sir, the house elf cannot come in until you invite him in person sir. They is waiting in the room outside."

"Ok. Stewy, go get me a robe and meet me in the main entrance hall. I'll be down soon." With that Harry addressed the portrait and told his teacher he had to leave for a moment. They told him to take the rest of this period off, but not to miss his next one if it could be helped.

Harry ran downstairs and met Stewy in the entrance hall where he was handed the most amazing robe he had ever seen. It appeared to be a deep Gryffindor red, dragon scale battle robe. The edges of the robe were made with gold dragon scales, as was the large lion on the back. It was an incredible sight to behold, and Harry was wondering how he missed this fine robe when he was searching for one for diner the other day.

"Th...thanks Stewy. I wasn't expecting something so grand." he was able to say through his shock.

"Stewy is sorry." said the elf misunderstanding Harry's awe, and looking somewhat ashamed "If Master Harry doesn't like it, Stewy can go and get Harry another robe." he said, and started to lower the robe shame at having failed his master.

"No Stewy! That's not what I meant. This robe is amazing! I just wasn't expecting something so...so...amazing." repeated Harry, not being able to find any other word to explain it.

Stewy's demeanor brightened in an instant, as he assisted Harry in putting it on. Harry noticed that the robe was deceivingly light, almost as if it were made of silk. He found a number of pockets inside of it, and also noticed that both sleeves had a wand holster built in. Then, to his surprise, the large robe shrunk itself to fit his body perfectly.

"Wow" said Harry in admiration of Stewy's latest find.

He then opened the door and invited the headmaster and his elf to enter.

Harry noticed that it was Dobby, but before he could introduce Stewy to his father, Dumbledore, with a rather shocked expression on his face, spoke.

"Harry! Where on earth did you find that robe?" asked the head master with a mixture of awe and surprise.

"Umm...actually, it was Stewy who found it for me." Then with a quick grin he added "What? Do you think it's too much? Nothing but the best for the Headmaster of Hogwarts." he added with a mock bow.

Then it was Dobby who spoke in a very small voice "Stewy?"

"Yes" replied Stewy with a little bit of trepidation at being addressed directly by this disgraced elf. A disgraced elf who was in the direct service of Albus Dumbly-dore. Stewy started to look confused, why would Dumbly-dore have a disgraced elf, he was a great wizard. This elf was free...and working at Hogwarts...but Harry said that... "Dobby?"

Dobby's eyes started to water as he nodded slowly. At this confession, Stewy broke down completely and threw himself into his father's arms, weeping tears of joy. The parchments that Dobby had been carried were now strewn about the entrance hall as the newly reunited father and son embraced.

Harry and the Headmaster looked on and smiled at the two of them, their earlier conversation forgotten, for the moment.

"Stewy, I'm giving you the rest of the day off. I want you to spend it with Dobby. That's an order."

Stewy and Dobby both looked at Harry through watery eyes and smiled. Dobby turned to look at Dumbledore, who only nodded in the affirmative also giving Dobby the rest of the day off. After which, they both ran off in the direction of the kitchen.

Harry laughed, and invited Albus into the sitting room.

"Harry, I came here to talk with Godric initially, to discuss the school defenses, but now I seem to have another reason." said Dumbledore.

"What's that sir?" asked Harry, more then a little confused, as he motioned for his headmaster to follow him to Potter Hall where he would be able to talk with the old portrait.

"Please, Harry, call me Albus when where alone. I believe I've told you that before. The new reason would be to find out where you were able to acquire the robe of Godric Gryffindor. It has been believed lost since his death."

They entered the room, and Harry replied, "I'm not sure sir," explained Harry as he sat himself down at the head of the table out of habit, "I asked Stewy to bring me a robe, and he brought me this. I would assume that it was in my closet upstairs."

"Ahh, Albus, it's good to see you." exclaimed Remus as he and Tonks entered the room. "One of the portraits told me that you were here, so I thought I'd come down ad say hello. Besides, I knew where you were, _Harry_ wouldn't be far behind." said Remus while shooting daggers at the young man across from him.

"Oh. I see." said Albus with an amused expression on his face.

Godric, who had recently woken up, spoke "and what has our young heir done to deserve the wrath of a werewolf?" asked the amused founder.

Tonks started by telling them about how she had been woken up, at Remus' request, that morning, after which, Remus, who never once stopped glaring at Harry, told them the story of his morning wake up call.

Other portraits had come to hear the tale. By the end of which, every one in attendance, save Remus, was laughing heartily at the poor werewolf's expense.

"My dear Moony," started Harry, "You tried to prank: the son of a Marauder, the godson of another, and the charge of another. Did you really think you'd be able to come out of this one unscathed?" asked Harry with a mischievous grin.

"Alright, fine! I'll give you that. But if you ever try anything like that again...She saw me _naked_ for goodness sake!" cried an exasperated Remus, which brought on a whole new wave of laughter. Eventually, even Remus was forced to join in with a chuckle of his own. "If you set your mind to it, cub, I bet you'd be able to give the Marauder's themselves a run for their money."

"Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Albus, only adding to the joyous mood.

When Godric stopped laughing, he noticed what Harry was wearing. "Harry! Where did you find that!" Every one had stopped laughing now to look at the young man at the end of the table. Each one wearing a similar expression of surprise, save Albus.

"I asked him that myself, Godric.It would seem that young Stewy found it for him. Unfortunately, Stewy is indisposed at the moment, and won't be able to speak with you until tomorrow."

"Why's that" inquired John from his portrait.

"Albus brought Stewy's father who he hasn't seen since the day you bought him, grandfather. So I gave him the rest of the day off so they could catch up. It was the least I could do." answered Harry honestly.

"That it was lad. Good for you." replied John.

"Why is this robe so important anyways?" asked a bewildered Harry.

"As I'm sure Albus told you, and you can tell if you look at me in this portrait, that was my robe. I thought it had been lost when I died since none of my descendants have ever been seen wearing it." explained Godric.

"That much I've been told, but _why_ is it so special. Is it just because it was yours?" pushed Harry.

"No Harry, that's not the reason. At least not the _only_ reason." said the founder with a mock pride that Harry had come to find amusing. "That was the robe I used when I dueled Salazar. I created it personally. It was made from the skin of two different types of dragon: a red one and a gold one. I'm not sure on their titles of today, back then we only addressed them by colour. The red ones were the fiercest and most aggressive. The gold ones were the most passive, friendliest and at the same time, most resistant to magic. 'The Robe of Gryffindor' which I had so aptly named it, is pretty much immune to all minor and most major curses, hexes and charms, completely resistant to fire and electricity, is as strong as the full plate armour I've heard you have had to polish at Hogwarts, and a few other things that I can't seem to remember since I'm only a portrait and not the actual man who created it." He said with a smile. "I'm sorry Harry. We portraits are great for some things, but our memory isn't as good as it was in life. Not to mention I made no effort to remember that since I had believed it lost."

"Wow." breathed Harry, Tonks, Remus, and surprisingly Dumbledore all at the same time.

"Well Harry, might I suggest you not lose it." said Albus with a smile. "That could most definitely be an advantage in a fight."

"Harry,"said Godric "I believe one of the books in the library has more information on it. I'm not sure, but I could have sworn there was one with a listing of most of the items I, and the other founders, had created and what they did."

"Thanks. I'll look for it later." said Harry still in shock over the revelation of the item on his back.

Harry, as a sign of peace, made lunch for Remus and the others, while Dumbledore went over a bunch of the parchments that he had brought with Godric. Albus was surprised to find out about some of the latent enchantments that the founders had set within the wards that were to be activated by command word in a time of a siege, and wondered how many of them were still in operation. He looked forward to going back to Hogwarts later to find out.

Godric also took this opportunity to explain the time difference here, and much to his joy, Albus understood fully what he had said. Albus and Godric then spoke in some length about how he accomplished it, as well as he could remember anyway.

After lunch, Harry returned to his lessons, Remus and Tonks went to theirs and after their conversation, Albus returned to Hogwarts.

* * *

That night, Harry was been reading in the library. Looking up at the big window in front of him he noticed that the view was that of an old castle on a hill top. It was a beautiful scene, but not one that meant anything to Harry. He thought about it for a second, and decided that he wanted something that would make him feel more at home. He had been talking with David the night before about how to change the scenes, so he decided to try for himself. 

He thought of the area he wanted to reproduce in the window, and cast the charm. The castle began to fade, and the new view, of the Burrow, began to materialize. However, between scenes, Harry could have sworn he saw someone outside. A man, looking in the window. It was just for a split second, so Harry just shrugged it off as his eyes playing tricks on him.

* * *

The weeks seem to pass by quickly after that day. When his initial review and his homework for the coming school year were completed, Harry threw himself into studying his gifts. He excelled at all of them. The ones that had first been analyzed as weak grew to at least med/high. Ironically enough, one of his best and favorite gifts was that of Potions Master. This would be an interesting year indeed. 

His metamorphmagus skills were now at a point to almost rival Tonks, unfortunately, nothing could be done about the scar. It stayed no matter what he tried.

Since Harry had gotten through the initial anatomy of his animagi forms so quickly, the portraits were in agreement that he should have at least 2 of his forms completed before his birthday: _If_ he could find an animal of the same species to spend the few days with.

Dumbledore had allowed Harry to borrow Fawkes for a week. Harry hadn't been completely honest with the headmaster as to why, mind you. He had told him that they were studying Phoenixes, and communicating with intelligent, none speaking creatures, and that since he already had a bond with Fawkes, this would make it easier. Harry was surprised that when he could actually talk with Fawkes. Not only could he understand him while in his phoenix form, but he could also understand him while in his human form. He couldn't, however, speak phoenix in this state since his voice box was slightly different.

His phoenix form was a deep red with golden feathers lining the outskirts of his wings and tips of the feathers on his tail. It had a striking similarity to the Robe of Gryffindor. On his head you could see a faint gold outline of a lightning bolt and his eyes were the same emerald green as when he was human.

Finding a kneazle was surprisingly easy as well. It would appear that Mrs. Figg's cat, Mr. Paws, was not exactly a normal cat. It would appear that kneazles have, when the mood suits them, the ability to magically disguise themselves as ordinary cats. Tonks had told Harry that Mrs. Figg used Mr. Paws to keep an eye on Harry during the summer months over the last few years. This also explained why Mr. Paws attacked Dudley a couple of summers ago when he had been harassing Harry at the park. Kneazles always look out for their own. Feeding Mrs. Figg the same story as they had told Dumbledore, they were able to borrow Mr. Paws for a week as well.

His kneazle form was almost opposite in colour. He was a dark, shadowy grey, with black spots and with a dark black lightning bold shape in the fur on the forehead. The only similarities between his two forms, were his eyes. His cat form was the same, only a bit smaller.

Harry could now be seen, on occasion, running through the halls in his kneazle form only to jump of the balcony in the entrance hall, transform into a phoenix and fly out to the park.

His two forms also helped his dueling. His reflexes, which had always been extremely quick, now had a more fluent, graceful and cat like movement. His accuracy had improved, and when he went flying, for whatever reason, he always seemed to land on his feet in an offensive crouch ready to pounce. Due, in large part to this, but also to his ever increasing knowledge of spells and martial arts, he could now take on both Tonks and Remus in a full blown duel. Add to that Harry's new found ability as a sorcerer allowing him to cast with one hand while still maintaining another spell with his wand or other hand, and he was winning against both of them at least 95 of the time. With Tonks being a fully trained auror and Remus a werewolf with heightened senses and reflexes of his own, this was a great accomplishment.

He had gone over much of the theory for magical sight, but being in the magical dimension, it was like a system over load whenever he tried to use it in Potter Mansion. It general terms, the ability allowed him to: see magic, past and present, how powerful it is/was and, when the skill was developed to it's fullest potential, who it was who cast or set the magic in the first place. All in all, a very useful ability for an auror, or someone looking for a specific wizard.

He was progressing so well that the portraits often gave him days off which he would spend with Remus and Tonks, doing some flying in the garden, or reading in the library. He had gone through a good portion of the library now and had read everything he had on arithmacy and ancient runes. He had decided to Ask Dumbledore if he could write the O.W.L.s for those during August, so that he could take them at NEWT level this coming year with Hermione. The thought of two more years of divination was enough motivation for Harry to learn the material in record time, even for him. He was also able to teach himself other languages with the use of books on the subjects and a lot of help from the portraits with the pronunciations.

Remus had made some amazing discoveries of his own while he was there. He was surprised and more then a little pleased to find that when inside Potter Mansion, the lunar cycle of the outside world did not affect him. Unlike the Room of Requirement, or any other room at Hogwarts, Potter Mansion was completely located in the magical dimension and since there was no day or night, nor sun or moon in this dimension, lunar cycles are none existent. He had now gone through almost two whole months in the mansion, which would have resulted in two full moons outside, without a transformation. He felt better, physically, then he had...well...ever. His appearance had become more youthful and even his hair seemed to be losing some of its gray.

With Matthias' notes, most of the research material he had written on the subject and occasionally Harry's help, Remus had also been trying to find a more potent form of the wolfsbane potion. Unfortunately he had only met with limited success. According to his research, the new potion he had developed 'should' have all the traits of a regular wolfsbane potion, while at the same time reduce the amount of pain one feels during the transformation. He had not been able to test it yet, obviously, but would be doing so next month, regardless of the fact that Harry had offered to him to use Potter Mansion every month to avoid it. He had to do this to not only help himself, but all others infected with this disease.

Tonks had been working on her Animagus form every spare chance she had ever since she found out she could become one. She wouldn't tell Harry or Remus what her form was, but told them that she would show them as soon as she was able to get out and go spend some time with one.

And then there were the pranks. Tonks, Harry and Remus had been pranking each other none stop since that first fateful morning. Remus had been turned every colour of the rainbow by now and one day as all of them together: different body part, different colour. Oddly enough, neither of the other two ever saw which part had been turned blue. Tonks had spent a full day as a very worried roll of toilet paper, and transformed back again on top of a tree in the park, after Harry and Remus had TPed it near the end of the spell and left her out there for the duration. Poor Harry had spent an afternoon in the body of a baby, at which time Tonks took it upon herself to play dress up with him. Both Tonks and Remus are now in possession of more then one photo of baby Harry dressed up as baby Harri_ette_. Pink really wasn't his colour. "But it clashes with my eyes!" complained Harry when he had been restored to his proper age, which brought on a whole new round of laughter from the other two. And those were just the major ones.

* * *

One morning after his physical training session, which he was now doing by himself or with Tonks or Remus as a spotter, Harry went down to breakfast to find all the portraits and their wives, who Harry had gotten to know during his time here, and all three of his friends waiting for him. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all cheered upon his entering.

"Today's my birthday?" asked a confused Harry. He hadn't been keeping track of the outside world much.

"Well, actually," started Godric, "You've been 16 now, since about 3 in the afternoon yesterday. That's when midnight struck outside, but now it is 4:45 am on your birthday out there."

"Yeah you lucky brat, you get your birthday for the next three days in here. Of course, we'll have to leave the day after tomorrow to go to your birthday party out there, but we thought we'd celebrate with you today in here too." explained Tonks with a smile.

This time, it was John who spoke up. "Your training is pretty much over Harry. We've taught you what we promised we would. If there's ever anything else mind you, don't hesitate to ask, but we're done with you for now. You have the next few days off to do what ever you need to."

At this time, Stewy walked up and presented Harry with a rather thick book.

"This is a birthday gift to you from all of us pictures Harry. It's yours to begin with, but we weren't sure if you had found it or not yet." explained William "It's the book Godric gave me and Esther the same time he gave us the cube."

The book was entitled 'Potter Mansion and all the things you can do with it."

"This is exactly the kind of book I've been looking for. You can't tell me it was in the library all this time and I just didn't see it?"

"No, we had it in our room Harry," explained Katherine, John's wife "John forgot to put it away before he sealed up the mansion and it's been sitting there ever since. I am surprised, however, that you didn't see it any of the times you came to visit."

Harry had indeed gone to visit his grandparents often. He had learned so much about his father, and even some things about his friends, namely the marauders, and their times growing up. Katherine had been particularly upset to find out about Peter's betrayal and then Sirius' imprisonment. She just kept saying that anyone who knew Sirius would _never_ believe he would betray James. They were more like brothers then friends. Nothing could separate them and nothing could have made them turn on each other. She said many a girl tried, but they were a package deal, you want one, you have to put up with the other.

"Tonks and I will be leaving tomorrow to go back out there and you'll be getting _our_ gifts after we have a chance to go and buy them." Added Remus with a grin.

"I don't need anything form you guys. Just being here these last two months has been more of a gift then I could ever have hoped for. Without your help, I couldn't have accomplished this much." said Harry.

"Too bad!" spat out Tonks almost annoyed at his selflessness. "besides, I already know what I'm going to get you. A nice set of frames for those baby pictures we took of you so I can show all your friends." she added with a playful smile.

"So I take it that the truce is off? The embarrassment war is going to replace the prank war we've been having? Is that it? Your call!" threatened Harry, "Just remember: I'm the one who can read your memories and make it so you relive your most embarrassing ones. Not to mention I can now do that with just a wave of my hand. No wand needed. Do you _really_ want to challenge me?" He said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Harry had developed, along with his legilimency skills, a small twinkle of his own. It would appear that Dumbledore's twinkle isn't always as innocent as it appears. Harry learned that the twinkle itself could be used as a focus for the skill, having someone's attention drawn to that, makes it easier to enter their mind.(**1**)

"How bout we just put an end to the hostilities all together?" asked Tonks hopefully.

"I'll do that when _both _of you give me all the pictures you have of that day. Until then, there can be no truce, let alone end to the hostilities as you so eloquently put it." replied Harry

"Woah Harry, be careful." interjected Remus "that last one had four syllables, you might want to slow down a bit before you hurt yourself." Which brought on a round of laughter form everyone.

"Fine," said Harry with an evil grin and that same twinkle "I see how it is. And here I was going to ask you to join _my_ side in the war. But if you insist on siding with the underdog, so be it." warned Harry.

"You misunderstand cub. I'm Neutral in this. I'm just out for my own kicks." explained Remus

"When are you going to stop calling me cub? I'm as big as you, and can kick your butt anytime of day." It was true. Harry had taken to looking like an 18 year old version of himself that stood about 6'1". He had broad shoulders and a well defined muscle structure. Not bulky and built, but lean and muscular. His height and age were a result of his metamorphmagus skills, but the built was all his.

"Take off that glamour of yours and we'll see how old you look. That doesn't matter anyways. No matter how old you get, you'll still be James' and Lily's cub to me." he added with a smile.

"Ok. I guess I can live with that. It's better then Bambi at any rate." chuckled Harry. "Speaking of my metamorphmagus skills, I want you guys to promise me to act like everyone else when I come in the room at my party. I have a little experiment planned." he added with a grin.

They both nodded in agreement.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent fooling around with his two friends and learning about his mansion. 

The book was chalk full of useful information. Apparently, the room of requirement, both in Potter Mansion and at Hogwarts, did not produce the things within out of thin air. They have to come from somewhere within the building. That was why the basement had so much stuff in it and why Hogwarts had so many storage rooms of junk. If it could just produce _anything_ he could technically ask it to produce something that would defeat Voldemort and it would be able to. Not to mention the amount of gold or extremely rare ingredients it could just conjure up. This made sense to Harry actually.

He also learned that the cube could be manipulated to open up into 6 different rooms in the mansion directly. By completing one side only, and speaking an incantation, the cube would open the door directly into one of the following rooms without a way into the rest of the mansion: Master bed room, Library, Room of Requirement, Potter Hall (with kitchen), Lounge and the Park. The rooms that opened could be changed by the owner, but these were the default settings.

Harry spent that evening curled up in from of the fireplace in the library with a book.

'Hermione will be jealous when she finds out how many books I have, not to mention how many I've read already.' With that thought, he put down the book he had been reading and went in search of a different one. Having found it he returned to his seat and started reading.

'If I can beat her to even _one_ quote this year, it'll be worth it.' And with that, Harry settled in with his very own copy of 'Hogwarts: a History'

* * *

(**1**) The idea of the eye twinkle being linked to legilimency was not of my own inventing. I'm using it with the permission of the author who I believe was the first to use it. If you want to read it for yourself, the author's name is Arya1 , and the link to her story can be found on my page under favorite stories, as can her author page be found under favorite authors. 

**AN:** It has recently been brought to my attention that I missed something in my many readings of PoA. I don't deny this, and to be honest it doesn't really surprise me. However, that being said, it did affect my story and for that I apologize. I apparently missed the fact that Wolfsbane potion was created in Remus' lifetime. It is, unfortunately, to late for me to correct this error, so I ask only for your forgiveness, and that you suspend your personal knowledge in that field and 'pretend' that it was in fact created much earlier. I'll try to be more diligent in the future, but please, if you do notice something like that, let me know so that if it is possible, I can change it.

Many thanks to my reviewers: **Eliphelet****, chaser1, Iluvatar, kungzoune, ssj-burnout, Destined Enchantress****, gaul1****, Lunawolf, Krazy lunitiK. Makotochi, misticdragon, **and **skeeter007, ****Athenakitty, ****Black sheep.**

Keep the reviews-a-comin'.

Farfumsane.


	12. Raid on Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer:** Farfumsane sighs and looks towards the heavens "Why, oh why must I live a life of poverty and destitution, the only outlet for my imagination being of someone else's design." sigh (Translation: making no money off this. not even my world.)

**Chap 11: Raid on the Alley**

Ron and Ginny both woke up that morning with more energy and determination then he had had for a long time. Today was a good day. Today, they were going to get to see their friends again.

While Ginny's thoughts drifted mostly to Harry and the explanation that he owed them, Ron's was focused more on a certain bushy haired girl who he had not seen since school was out. Sure, seeing Harry was important to him, after all, he had been doing all this to help him, but for the life of him, he could not stop think about the other member of the Gryffindor Trio.

Shaking his head, he tried to focus on what he was in the middle of. This was the second time Ginny almost scored a hit on him that morning, and he didn't relish the thought of having bruises all over his body when he met up with his friends later.

Over the past two weeks, Ginny's skills with a sword had grown at an amazing rate. Like her brother, it would appear that she was a natural even though his sword of choice was a katana and she tended to lean towards the rapier and dirk combination. Right now she just wielded practice ones, with rather dull blades so as not to hurt her brother, but she looked forward to finding some she could really bond with. She'd have to look when they went to Diagon Alley for their school supplies. She just hoped that when she actually found what she wanted, that she'd be able to afford it.

The two of them had been working quite a bit over the last couple of weeks, on everything.

They had found out their animagus forms and were researching the anatomies of their animals. They were both very pleased when they found out that they had this ability. They had also done quite a bit of spell research.

Ron had brought himself up to speed on everything he'd 'missed' over the years. He and Ginny had even completed all their homework for the coming school year.

Since they hadn't been able to actually cast any spells, Ron had compiled a small book on offensive spells, one on defensive spells, one on utility spells and even one on handy and easy potions that he wanted to work on. They were rather small, and he could easily conceal them in a small compartment in his school back for quick reference if needed. Ginny had made her own set with a variety of spells that she found fascinating. That way, when they got back to school, they'd be able to practice whenever they had time. Eventually, they wouldn't need the books anymore, but until then, they were good to have.

Ron's watch read 10:00 when they finally went in to help their mother. They'd be heading over to Grimmauld place in an hour or so to assist in setting up and preparing everything for Harry's birthday party. Ron looked forward to Harry's reaction when he opened his present.

'He'll be as surprised as he was on his first Christmas at Hogwarts when he found out that he actually had presents.' thought Ron as he remembered that happy day. 'I just hope no one else sees what I give him or I'll have a lot of explaining to do.'

* * *

Hermione bounced out of bed that morning too, for much the same reason as her red headed friends. She was a little sad though. Today she would be leaving her family for the rest of the year, not to rejoin them again until Christmas. She didn't get to see them as often as she would like, even though she'd never admit it to them, with school being so far away. 

America had been a lot of fun. She found out that some governments do not monitor the use of underage magic of people from other countries, so Hermione had spent most of the summer practicing magic. Not only that, but on one of their first stops, she went to a Native American Healing facility. Inside she was able to purchase a good half a dozen books on the subject, as well as talk with some of the local healers. This only served to feed the now budding obsession. For the rest of the summer, you could find Hermione with her nose stuck in one of those six books, and when she wasn't, she was either sleeping, or practicing something she had learned. Even their visit to Salem couldn't bring her out of it.

She had come to the realization during their 'excursion' to the ministry last year that fighting was not her strong suit. She knew she could hold her own if she had to, but she found herself worrying more about those people who were already hurt and wishing she could help them then on the fight at hand. She had seen this trip as a blessing. She had been able to learn and practice what she needed to incase anything like this should happen again, and not miss time from school to do it. Sure, she would be behind in her homework for next year, but she'd have all of August to do it. Besides, the chances of Ron and Harry being finished their work was practically non-existent so she doubted she'd be alone in her labours.

She was packed and ready to go even before she went to bed last night, so it was no problem to have her stuff down by the fireplace by ten. She was going to floo directly to Grimmauld Place to get the house ready for the party that night.

Looking down at her watch she noticed the time and with a quick goodbye to her family, she was off.

* * *

Harry rolled over and reached for the watch on his bed side table. Focusing his eyes on it, he noticed that it was 8am. 

One of the big bonuses of being a metamorphmagus was his ability to not only affect his outer appearance, but once he studied human anatomy more, he found he was also able to affect himself internally. As such, he was able to correct his eyes and see clearly without the aid of his glasses. At first it was difficult to hold the change, but just as his outer changes became easier and easier to maintain, so had his ability to hold the correction in his eyes. He was now at the point where he did it automatically and could hold it all day without tiring or giving it a second thought. It would also come in handy when in a fight. He could repair burst veins, thus reducing bruising, and even close small wounds all with a thought.

Harry slowly got up and pressed 'play' on the discman that Mike had given him earlier that summer. He had started most mornings off with some upbeat music to get him going. His grandfather had been a big fan of all things muggle, much like Mr. Weasley, and had even managed to get some of the rooms in Potter Mansion to allow the use of electronic devices. This room was one of them.

Today, unfortunately, it seemed to cut out right in the middle of 'Old time rock and Roll', one of his favorite wake-up songs.

'It was bound to happen sooner or later' thought Harry as he noticed the batteries were dead. He took out the box that Mike had given him to look for more, but finding none, he decided that it was time to make a trip to the outside world. He had wanted to visit Diagon Alley for a while now, and while he was there, he'd be able to slip out into muggle London and buy some batteries.

Now in silence, and without the mental distraction he'd had for the last few weeks, his attention was brought back to the letter sitting, still unopened, on the small coffee table in the middle of the room.

Harry knew he didn't want to read it, he knew that it would mean it was over. He knew that it would just seal the fact that Sirius was gone. Harry couldn't do it. No matter how hard he tried, he could not bring himself to believe that Sirius was really gone for good. He wanted to. He wanted to be able to move on, and continue living, but something was holding him back and he just couldn't explain what that was.

Picking up the letter, Harry took a long look at it. Reaching a decision, he walked over to his dresser, opened the top drawer and placed the letter inside.

Closing it he thought, 'When I _know_ you're gone. That's when I'll open it. Not before.'

After showering and getting dressed, Harry tied his long black hair back in a pony tail and put on the Robe of Gryffindor. He went down to breakfast where he was again greeted by the shouts of happy birthday from those who were there. Laughing to himself, and wondering if they'd do the same tomorrow morning, he sat down and joined them.

Tonks and Remus were leaving that day too, so they were up, packed and their things were by the front door. Harry didn't tell them he was going out today, and decided to wait for them to leave first so as to avoid having to answer their questions as to where he was going.

After their departure, Harry summoned Stewy and told him that he'd be leaving for the rest of the day, but that he would like to be woken up tomorrow morning by 10 am at the latest, if he wasn't already conscious. Stewy nodded and wished his master a good day.

Once outside the door Harry noticed that Sirius' bed was practically covered with letters. Kicking himself for not remembering to ask Stewy to get them over the last two months/weeks, he went back in, summoned Stewy again, and asked him to transport all those letters to his bedroom so that he could read them later.

Then he stepped back outside and disappeared with a burst of flame and a puff of smoke.

Even though he couldn't apparate in Potter Mansion due to the wards and so on, he was able to travel as phoenix' do. Harry decided to call it 'flashing' due to the fact that it reminded him of the old fashion powder camera flashes. The best part was that he had figured out how to do it even when in human form. It looked much like floo travel, but instead of the green flame he was used to, it was golden. He was very accurate with this type of travel, having been practicing for over two weeks now, and even though it wasn't the quietest form of travel around, it was the safest due to the fact that it could not be traced at all.

* * *

An instant later, a young man appeared in the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron. 

Tom, the bar keep, looked at the man who just appeared. This wasn't the first time that someone had arrived in a golden coloured flame. Some families had personalized floo powder, and some fire placed only accepted people with certain coloured flames. But, he didn't know the man, and that _was_ something he wasn't used to.

He stood about 6'1", had a loose black pony tail, strong build and was wearing the most magnificent crimson robe he had ever seen. The gold scales along the edges of it alone must be worth a fortune.

There was something about his calm demeanor and confidence in his movements that Tom found almost intimidating. However, the smile on the man's face as he had made eye contact had calmed him and let him know he would not be a threat.

The young man then nodded briefly to him, which gave him the impression that he knew him, and then turned and headed out the back door to Diagon Alley.

After he turned, Tom noticed the large gold Lion on the back, and thought how fitting that was for a person who carried himself in such a majestic way.

Tom just shook his head clear of these thoughts and continued with his daily chores. He'd think about this person later and try to figure out how he knew him when he had more time.

* * *

After tapping the correct bricks, the wall separating the Leaky Cauldron from Diagon Alley opened to reveal the wonders hidden behind. Harry stepped through the opening and smiled widely. 

'It's good to be back' He thought as he made his way to Gringotts. He presented his key and made his way quickly to his vault where he filled up two bags with galleons. Upon returning to the main level, he changed one of those bags into pounds and stepped back out into the Alley.

Since he decided to do his muggle shopping last and just flash back to the mansion from there, he started walking around the alley and taking in the sights. It wasn't long before the sights started to change, unfortunately, as many dark robed, hooded wizards appeared wearing white masks. There were twelve in all.

'Death Munchers! Just great! And here I thought I'd have a nice peaceful day.' thought Harry.

He watched as they started casting random spells at the people shopping. Two people were taken down one with a green blast and the other with a red one, and then he noticed one of the Death Eaters taking aim at the young girl whose mother had just fallen to a spell. She was frozen with fear, her gazed locked on the wand of the man about to strike her down.

'Oh bugger, here goes nothing.' thought Harry as he dove in to the middle of the group of them, quickly raising a dome that encompassed all 13 of them and watched as three bolts of green light that had been cast by various Death Eaters fizzled out when they made contact with it. The sphere he had created was about 8 meters in diameter: big enough to get all the Death Eaters, but not so big as to include any of the innocents on the outskirts. The spell he had used was an ancient one and although clear, nothing could pass into, or out of the sphere, even air. Only half of the spells was visible, the other half was under the ground as the sphere was centered on the caster at the time of casting. In other words, he was trapped in here, with them, until he lowered it. Harry quickly cast two wandless stupefies, dropping two of the death eaters, before the others turned their attention on him.

He quickly decided not to use his wand at all, if he could help it, for three reasons. First, the fewer people who knew who he was, the better, and if he did the entire ministry would know. Second, the last thing he wanted to do was to give Fudge or anyone else at the ministry a reason to expel him. And third, what better way to strike fear and doubt into the hearts of Tom's followers, then show them that someone who doesn't even need a wand could take out 12 of them in a fight. Harry wasn't yet able to cast too many spells with his Sorcerers abilities due to the fact that it took a long time to master and cast them with sufficient power. The ones he did know where meant to be used in a combat situation though and he just hoped they'd be enough.

Noticing that there wasn't much along the lines of defendable positions within the dome, he quickly dove to the side and pulled up his hood, turning himself nearly invisible to the naked eye. One of the robes abilities was to become like a chameleon while the hood was up, although not as good as being invisible, it still gave him a slight advantage.

All the stunners hit the ground where Harry once stood with a bright flash, giving Harry the distraction he needed to blend into his surroundings without being seen. He moved over about 3 yards and sent another barrage of stunners at the now clustering group of death eaters before they were able to put up shields.

That revealed his location, but at least there were only 6 to worry about now.

"We know you're there now, dismantle this dome, or face the consequences." said the one that appeared to be the leader as the others in the party attempted, in vain, to revive their fallen comrades. The death Eater probably wanted to try and recruit him or they were worried that the sphere would remain if the caster fell. Those were the only reasons Harry could think of to explain why they weren't firing at him.

Harry did not recognize the voice, but that wasn't a big surprise. Most of the death eaters he knew were taking a holiday right now in Azkaban after the ministry incident last June.

Deciding to play along, he removed his hood slowly to reveal himself to his soon to be victims. He noticed that they were all staring and waiting anxiously. 'Perfect'

Since Harry could cast with no words and no wand, they had no way of knowing that the stunner he had used, though very old in origin, was also not able to be countered by the '_enervate_' charm, nor would their shield spells be able to block them.

Their momentary lack of alertness was all he needed before he sent another two stunners right through their shields and dove into a roll to his right while casting _serpensortia_ under his breath. When he had again taken up a defensive crouch, he ordered the six large pythons now present to attack before throwing himself into another dive to avoid the _Avada Kedavra_ that had been sent his way.

_-Imobilizzze them only, do not kill them-_ hissed Harry to his allies.

_-Asss you command, Ssspeaker-_ they answered with a hiss of their own.

Now that the Deatheaters' attention was split, Harry made short work of them. Though he was hit several times with what he thought were the slicing curse, stupefy and full body bind, he remained unaffected. He was bruised rather badly at the points of impact, mind you, but he hadn't fallen. Whether it was because of the blocking charm he was able to throw up at the last minute, or his robe he wasn't sure. He decided to test his robe to the fullest in the next few days, so he'd know if he was wasting his time casting barriers when he could have been attacking. Taking a second to concentrate on the bruises, he was able to repair them, and make them disappear with his metamorphmagus abilities.

This whole battle had taken almost 4 minutes.

With all of them unconscious, he dispelled the snakes, huddled them all in the middle and cast '_incarcerous_'on the bunch of them. Making sure they were tightly bound by the ropes, he lowered the shield and made his way over to the little girl and her fallen mother.

The girl was crying and trying to wake up her mother. She had to be around 9 or 10, and would probably be starting Hogwarts soon. Harry crouched down beside her and checked her mother for a pulse. Unfortunately, none could be found.

Placing his hand on her shoulder and helping her stand he said to the little girl "I'm sorry little one. There's nothing I can do. She's already gone." At this the little girl started sobbing more frantically and threw herself into Harry and held on to him tightly.

Harry was never comfortable around people when they cried. He never knew what to do. As he watched this young girl sobbing into his robes, his heart went out to her and without thinking, he returned the embrace. He tried to reach out to her using his empathic abilities to feel what she was feeling, so that he could better understand how to help her. That's when something happened that he couldn't explain.

All of a sudden he was flooded with the emotion of grief and great loss, but most surprising of all was the new feeling that was replacing it. Somehow, his desire to comfort her began over power those emotions of grief. From inside _himself_, he felt the feeling of comfort being _emitted_ and filling this little person in his arms. Her crying receded and became a sad smile as she looked up at the man holding her.

"I know it hurts." he started "And that will probably never go away completely, but you have to continue to live. To live your life as she would have wanted you to. That is the best thing you can do to honour her memory. If you can do that, then you can show Voldemort that he hasn't won. That he hasn't beaten you. That he'll _never_ beat you." he explained with a sad smile of his own.

These words that he was speaking, and feelings that he was emitting, were coming from somewhere in him that he didn't even know existed. Somewhere that, until now, had been kept closed away. He was doing what came naturally, not thinking, just running on instinct and pure emotion.

The little girl continued to look up at him through her watery eyes, and nodded mutely.

"Thank you" she sighed softly, her voice barely above a whisper. As she tightened her hug again and buried her head into his chest. Harry too tightened his hold on her while continuing to comfort her with his own feelings.

A few seconds later a man ran out of the apothecary a few shops down, looked around and ran straight towards the fallen woman weeping. Then, looking up frantically he began to call "Emily! Emily, is that you!"

The girl in his arms stirred and directed her attention to the man. "Daddy!" she screamed as she broke away from Harry and leapt into her father's waiting arms.

"At least she's not alone." said Harry to himself with a small, but true,smile.

By this time, Aurors were starting to appear on the scene. Taking a defensive stance, they looked around and then ran over to the bound Death Eaters. They then started to question some of the people who witnessed what happened. Not seeing a way out of talking about it, he made his way over to the Auror he recognized. Kingsley Shacklebolt, and greeted him warmly.

"Hello Mr. Shacklebolt. I am assuming form the many finger pointings of the witnesses that you will probably want to speak with me." said Harry

"Yes, indeed we do, sir. Might I ask who you are and how you know me?" asked a confused Kingsley.

Harry smiled. "I'm glad to see that this disguise works so well. I'll have to remember to keep the pony tail loose so my hair comes down a bit in front next time again. That way it hides my scar." With this Harry lifted the hair on his forehead to reveal his lighting shaped identifying mark.

"Harry!" asked Kingsley in a hushed whisper of disbelief as Harry left his hair back down again. "What the hell have they been feeding you?"

"Is there somewhere more private we can talk? Tell them you want to question me without interruption or something?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, ok." Then turning his attention to the rest of the team he said, "Hey guys, I'm going to question this one somewhere less...distracting." as he motioned to the crowd of people that were starting to form and stare at the man who took out 12 death eaters single handedly. They nodded, and went back to investigating the scene and speaking with the other witnesses.

The two of them made their way to the nearest shop, Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, and asked if they could use one of he change rooms for official Auror business. She nodded silently, staring at the man in red before her, having witnessed the whole things from the safety of her shop.

Once in the change room, Kingsley proceeded to cast several wards and put an imperturbable charm on the door. He then turned to Harry, "What Happened?"

Harry then told him what had occurred since they appeared. How they had dropped two people, and were about to kill the little girl when he decided to act. He then, briefly, described the fight and finished with, "then you guys got here."

Kingsley was just floored. What this boy, no... man had just said he had done, which concurred with the other two eye witness accounts he had heard before, was...well...impossible. That was some serious magic! "When did you become a Sorcerer?"

"It's something that tends to run in my family" answered Harry honestly, "I've spent most of my summer working on it and other skills that I seem to have developed."

"Such as?" asked an unbelieving Kingsley

"Look, I can't tell you everything. You know as well as I do that Dumbledore wouldn't want me to tell anybody about these. If you promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone, not even the rest of the Order, I'll tell you some of it. Since you were keeping Sirius safe from the ministry last year, I feel I owe you. It meant a lot to me." said Harry honestly.

Kingsley nodded "I promise."

"Well, besides the Sorcerer talents, I'm also a metamorphmagus, hence my appearance. I'm also empathic which was how I was able to know what that girl was feeling and calm her down a bit." explained Harry.

"Anything else I should know about?" asked Kinsley with a smile. This was one amazing young man, and he was proud to be serving alongside him.

"Nope," said Harry a little too quickly "nothing at all." he added with a smile.

To which Kinsley laughed.

"Alright. I'll omit as much as I can from my report, including your name, but the fact that there is a powerful sorcerer out there on the side of light will not be something that I can or would want to keep hidden. News like this can only encourage normal people to stand up for themselves and should be shared."

Harry blushed slightly at the praise, "I wouldn't call myself powerful as much as determined." he tried to explain but Kingsley wouldn't hear it.

Kingsley held his hand up and shook his head, "Call it what you will, but I know what I heard happened, and not just from you either. No one short of an orange leveled Sorcerer could have done that, no matter what you say. Anyways...you better get going. It's nearly 1 pm and I believe you have a party to be getting to later." he added with a smile.

"Thanks Mr. Shacklebolt"

"Please, Harry, call me Kingsley." said the Auror with a smile.

"Thanks Kingsley. On question though, what did you mean by 'orange level sorcerer'?"

"You're gong into sixth year right?" Harry nodded "Well, you'll be learning this either this year or next. A wizard's power level is gauged by colour. A reveal magical power spell cast by a wizard will cause him to be enveloped in a light of a certain colour. This colour is his level of power. It's very similar to the colour order of the rainbow starting with white, going into blue then up through to red then purple. The darker the colour, the higher up in that colour range the wizard or witch is classed. That's the watered down version of it anyways. Understand?" Again, Harry just nodded in agreement.

"Good. Like I said, you'll be learning more bout that in the coming years. Well, that's it for me, time to head back out there."

Having thought of something, Harry turned back to Kingsley and asked, "By the way, are you coming by tonight?"

"I was planning on it, why do you ask?"

"I'm going to be making _an entrance_ tonight. Only a couple of people have seen me since my training this summer, and I was hoping to surprise them. If you could just play along that would be great."

Kingsley just chuckled "It's a deal. I can't wait to see the looks on the other people's faces when they finally realize it's you." he said chuckling, as he lowered the wards and charms.

"See you there." said Harry as he made his way back outside. Upon seeing that the street was still full of people, people looking for him, he decided to make his way to the Leaky Cauldron quickly so as to avoid as much attention as possible.

As he started walking, he noticed a pair of people looking at him and making their way over. It was the little girl, Emily, and her father. "Excuse me sir." said the father quietly so as not to draw any attention to them.

Harry turned to face them, "Yes?"

"My name is Mr. Thatcher. I just wanted to thank you for saving my daughter's life. She told me that one of them was about to cast something at her when you shielded her. Thank you so much for keeping her safe for me." he said, his eyes beginning to water anew. He tried to hand Harry a small bag "I'll never be able to thank you fully for what you've done since we don't have that much, sir, but I'd like you to have this." Harry looked at the coin bag.

"My good sir," Harry started "It is reward enough for me to see that this little one belongs to a loving home, and that she will have a chance to lead a full life with people who care for her. I'm just sorry I couldn't act sooner to save your wife as well." he said with a sad expression on his face as he refused the money.

"Please sir, don't blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done. My daughter told me that they just appeared and fired. It was only through your quick thinking that I have any of my family left today. If you ever need anything, if I can ever be of service, please come find me in my shop. I own and run Thatcher's Apothecary here in Diagon Alley and would be more then happy to help in any way I can."

"Thank you for your offer and kind words. I shall keep that in mind" said Harry as he placed his hand on the little girls head, bowed slightly to the man and turned to leave. Before he got more then two meters away, he heard the little girl call after him "Wait!"

He turned to see her running towards him and giving him a big hug. "Thank you. Sir. Thank you so much."

He hugged her back. When they had separated, she looked up at him and for the first time she noticed his scar.

"You're...you're Harry Potter!" she said wide eyed with a shocked but quiet voice.

Harry knelt down in front of her and placed a finger on his lips "Shhhh. Don't tell any one alright? This will be our secret." he said with a smile.

She smiled back and nodded.

Harry got up, smiled once again at little Emily, and left.

As before, he gave Tom a small nod on his way through the Leaky Cauldron, but didn't stop long enough to say hello as he continued on to muggle London.

Harry got back to Potter Mansion at 2pm London time, or 11 pm Potter time, wanting nothing more then to throw himself on his bed. He hadn't been up for long, but he was exhausted and knew he had a party to go to later. Since he wasn't going to go until 10 am pt, he had 11 hours. He decided to take a nap and then tackle the many letters that now cluttered the floor of his room and after that, make his way to the celebration of his birth. Harry smiled at the thought of this. He'd never had a birthday party before, and even though he wouldn't be able to invite all his friends since it was being held at a secret headquarters for a military resistance, it was still a party.

Dreams came quickly to Harry. Dreams of cake and presents. Dreams of laughter and music. Dreams of friends.

* * *

**AN:** Many thanks to all my reviewers: **Oriens**** Bennu, chaser1, Potter Reader****, Iluvatar, Angelis1, Digi Bonds, Lunawolf, misticdragon, gaul1, AutumnHeart, ****athenakitty**, **Krazy**** lunitiK.**

Some of your comments are more helpful then others ;) but they are all welcome and greatly appreciated. :D

Thanks again,

Farfumsane


	13. Birthday Potty

**Disclaimer:**

What's hers is hers  
And what's mine is mine,  
If you cant tell the difference  
Too bad.

(Sorry, I know that wasn't my best one to date. I must have used up all my poetic juices in the disclaimer a couple of chapters ago.)

**Chap 12: Birthday Potty**

"What the heck was that? What was that guy thinking?" Asked a shocked, yet surprisingly annoyed Tonks as she threw herself on the couch in the living room having finally returned to the safety of Grimmauld Place.

"What are you asking me for? I know as much as you do. I'm just glad we got out of there quickly before more people started flooding the streets trying to see him." Replied an exhausted Hermione, dropping the bags of purchased items to the ground before she, herself, dropped onto the couch next to Tonks.

"What are you so upset for anyway? You don't you know him, do you?" added Hermione.

"No." added Tonks quickly, but getting a sexy grin she decided to through Hermione off that line of questioning by adding "but I'd like to!" with a wink.

Hermione giggle and nodded in agreement.

Earlier that morning, before the Weasley's had arrived, Tonks had invited Hermione to join her in Diagon Alley to pick up a few things that she needed for the party. They arrived at the alley just after eleven, and had picked most of the things by 12:30. They had decided to stop at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for a bite before finishing off their errands when the preverbal shit hit the fan.

All of a sudden 12 Death Eaters appeared out of nowhere. Before Tonks could react, they had already dropped two people. As she was getting out of her chair, someone knocked her from behind. After falling to the ground, she looked back up at the action to see one of the Death Eaters with his wand trained on her, and casting a spell. She had no time to move out of the way as the green jet of light started to shoot towards her. But just when she thought it was all over, she saw it just fizzled out as it hit a newly erected barrier. Tonks was confused for a second. 'Did that thing just block the killing curse?' Her confusing was only short lived, however, and was quickly replaced with fear as she saw who it was who had created the shield.

'Harry!' she had thought, as her eyes were glued to the scene as it unfolded. First he took out two with his wandless stunners, which she knew from experience were quite potent. Then there were only 6 left. The people outside the shield couldn't hear anything that was happening inside, but they could see the whole thing. Then the snakes appeared and assaulted the D.E.s leaving Harry free to stun two. It was then three curses hit him simultaneously. Tonks screamed in surprise as tears filled her eyes, but to her surprised he just shrugged them off and made short work of the last four.

Not sure she wanted to face him just then, unsure if she'd kill him for putting himself in that situation, hug him because he was safe or kiss him to death for having saved her life, she decided to grab Hermione and finish off the rest of their shopping quickly, leaving Harry behind to fend for himself. After another hour and change, they had finally finished, so they used the portkey to get both her and Hermione back to Grimmauld Place.

"Tonks! You aren't listening to a word I'm saying are you?" huffed a rather frustrated Hermione.

"Sorry, just thinking about the Alley." she sighed apologetically, "What were you saying?"

"I had asked if you knew what that shield was? Because, to me, that spell that it blocked looked like the killing curse. I was under an impression that the unforgivables _couldn't_ be blocked!" she repeated.

Before Tonks couldn't answer and share her own uncertainty, someone screamed from the doorway.

"HERMIONE!" Ginny Weasley ran towards her and jumped onto her friend for a big hug.

"Ginny! How are you? You look good!" said Hermione as she got up off the couch and looked her friend up and down.

Ginny only smiled "If you think I look good, you should see my brother. We've been working out together this summer." she said suggestively in an almost whisper as she motioned back towards the door with her head.

Hermione, somewhat intrigued by the comment, turned her head slowly to the door to find a tall, yet well built red head, wearing a rather tight t-shirt, leaning against the frame. "Ron?" asked a disbelieving Hermione.

"Who'd you expect? Malfoy?" He said with a chuckle as he pushed himself off the door jam slightly and made his way, coolly, over to his friend. He was acting with a an ease and confidence that he didn't quite possess, but he was trying _really_ hard not to look like a total goof in front of his obsession...I mean friend. 'Where did that come from?' he thought.

'_DAMN!_' thought Hermione. "Ginny told me you had been working out, I see she wasn't joking!" she said with a grin as she threw herself at her friend. Ron returned the embrace just as fiercely and they stayed that way for quite some time until...

"Hem, Hem" coughed Ginny, reminiscent of a certain defense teacher

They separated quickly, each turning quite red at their display. The stifled laughs they were getting from Tonks on the couch, and from Molly who was now at the door, probably weren't helping them keep their composer much either.

"It's good to see you again dear." said Molly saving them from continued awkward silence, before pulling Hermione into a great Mrs. Weasley hug.

"Where were you two?" asked Mrs. Weasley "We got here around eleven to an empty house!"

"We must have just missed you. We went to Diagon Alley to get a few things...oooo...We have to tell you what happened." exlaimed Hermione with excitement as she started to recount what had occurred just over an hour earlier.

"I'm just glad that man was there or there would have been a lot more then just one person dead and one injured by the sounds of it." said Molly when Hermione had finished.

Ron sat quietly during the story, not exactly sure why he was feeling jealous at Hermione's description of the young man. Shaking it off Ron reminded himself. 'Not any more! I'm not gonna let petty emotions like this get in the way. If this guy is against Voldemort, then he's my ally.' thought Ron, shaking his head clear.

"Sounds like he knows his magic. I wonder if Dumbledore will be trying to get him as the new defense teacher. By the sounds of it, even those Aurors probably wouldn't have stood much of a chance against him had he decided to turn on them." stated Ron matter-of-factly.

"No they wouldn't have." interjected Tonks with a knowing smile. With the way he'd been able to take her and the werewolf out recently, Kingsley and four other Aurors wouldn't have been too tough with the element of surprise. It had been over two weeks since they had been able to actually beat Harry in a duel. All he had been doing recently is beating the quicker and quicker.

The other four sets of eyes turned to look at her. "What do you know?" inquired Ginny.

Tonks, realizing she'd slipped up, and not seeing a convincing way out, decided that retreat was the best course of action. "Oh my! Look at the time, I should go and wrap Harry's gift before the party." she said as she quickly stepped to the fire place, through down the powder, muttered something the others could not hear and disappeared.

"Don't worry, we'll corner her later." promised Ron. The other two girls only nodded in agreement.

"But for now!" interrupted Mrs. Weasley "We have a party to get ready for." And with that she started assigning each of them their tasks. Initially, she was going to have all three of them decorating this afternoon, but having seen the scene upon her entry into the room, she decided that Ginny would probably be more helpful in the kitchen. With a sly smile, that both mother and daughter shared, they left the two 'friends' alone to fend for themselves.

* * *

Harry regained consciousness about six hours later. It was now five am pt, but his body was so messed up from having spent so long in outside time, that he couldn't tell. He headed over to the couch across his room beside which were piled all the letters he had received over the month of July.

Sitting down, he started to sift through the pile to find the one he was looking for. Grabbing a hold of the thick envelope, with the Ministry of Magic seal, his fingers shook slightly as he opened it. To be honest, he was worried. He was really tempted to just go to Professor Dumbledore and ask to retake them. He was much more confident now about his abilities and knowledge then he had been then. Depending on his scores, he might have to do that. After all, he was going to be asking to take the Arithmacy and Ancient Runes ones anyways, why not just add a couple more to that?

_Mr. Harry James Potter_

_We here at the Ministry of Magic: Education Department, would like to congratulate you on completing your O.W.L. exams. Here in you shall find the results of said exams. If there are any discrepancies, or if you would like to petition any of the grades, please contact the Ministry of Magic: Education Department no later then the first of August in order to insure adequate time to retake and mark said exams before your school year begins._

_One Owl is given for every subject you complete with a minimum of acceptable. Two owls may be given in a course for an exceptional understanding of the material, far exceeding course requirements._

_Your Grades are as follows:_

_Ancient Runes: N/A 0 OWLs  
__Arithmacy: N/A 0 OWLs  
__Astronomy: Acceptable 1 OWL  
__Care of Magical creatures: Outstanding 1OWL  
__Charms: Exceeding Expectations 1 OWL  
__Defense against the Dark arts: Outstanding† 3 OWLs††  
__Divination: Acceptable 1 OWL  
__Herbology__: Acceptable 1 OWL  
__History of magic: Dreadful 0 OWLs  
__Potion: Outstanding 1 OWL  
__Transfiguration: Exceeding Expectations 1 OWL_

_†Student achieved highest mark in this subject for the year  
__††This is the first time 3 OWLs have ever been awarded. Student showed an amazing understanding of this subject in both written and practical portions going far beyond the knowledge required for OWL or even NEWT level studies._

_Total: 10 OWLs_

_Congratulations.  
__Minister of Magic,_

_C. Fudge_

'TEN O.W.L.s? That's incredible! And 3 in DADA! WOW! I thought for sure I'd fail Astronomy and Divination. I'm gonna have to thank Hermione for helping me study for Astronomy. As for Divination, well…I'm not sure who to thank for that…or even if I would. I'm not too surprised about History of Magic though. Even if I hadn't had my vision during it, I doubt I would have passed.'

He then dug out the letter with the Hogwarts seal. It explained which courses were open to him as a result of his OWL marks and it asked him to reply before August fifteenth with a detailed list of which classes he would be participating in. McGonagall had also added a small note of her own on the letter saying that all of the 'decrees' of professor Umbridge have been overturned, including his life time ban on quidditch. This news made Harry's day.

Putting this letter down beside him with the other one, he began to go through the other 150 or so letters that he had accumulated.

There was at least one from each member of the D.A. thanking him for his help. It would appear that every single one of the fifth years achieved an Oustanding in DADA, and the NEWT students received top marks as well. Apparently, Neville even earned 2 O.W.L.s, as did Susan Bones, Hermione and Ron. Harry was more then a little bit surprise, but also very proud of them. All the other students thanked him for his help and said that they did better then they would have otherwise as well. Even Cho and Marietta had written him to thank him for his help, and in Marietta's case apologize. Harry wasn't quite sure how he was going to deal with her if the D.A. continued this year. He decided to think on it for a while. Hopefully it'll be clearer by the time he gets back to school.

There were 5 from Ron, 2 from Hermione, 3 from Neville, 2 from Luna, 1 from the twins and 1 from Ginny. Hermione and Ron had both written him about their OWL results. Hermione got 12 OWLs with two in DADA and 2 in Transfiguration. Ron had received 9, getting an OWL in every course Harry had, but only 2 in DADA. The other letters, mostly, just told him how things were going and how their summer was coming along. Harry was surprised with Ron's letters. Not so much for the number of letters, but mostly the content. Apparently he had already completed all him work for the coming year, but the oddest aspect about them, was that they were usually from both he and Ginny. It would appear that they were spending more time together which made Harry smile.

There rest of the letters were from either: people apologizing for doubting him and saying how they admired his courage for continuing to tell the truth, people saying they'd always believed him and admired his courage in standing up to those who didn't or from reporters trying to get an interview with him saying how much they admired his courage in the trials he'd faced. In other words, they were rather repetitive and un-original. Most of these Harry only skimmed through and placed on the crap pile. Occasionally, however, one caught his eye that he kept, planning on responding to later. For example, there was one from Amelia Bones Head of Law enforcement at the ministry not only apologizing for his treatment, but also thanking him for helping her niece Susan with her DADA O.W.L. Apparently, she was Susan's guardian and was overjoyed at her young charge's accomplishments. He also received one from the Chief Editor of the Daily Prophet asking for his forgiveness and telling him that if there was ever anything he could do to help, just let him know. He'd hang on to these since they might prove useful later.

Along with the two afore mentioned letters, there was another 23 or so from people offering their aid in the up coming battles. Some offered to help in combat, others in training and a few others in supplying or helping to brew potions. Harry put those in a separate pile all together thinking that he'd bring these in particular to Dumbledore's attention.

Three hours later, after having gotten through them all, Harry decided to go for a jog in the park and do a bit of a work out before getting ready to go to his party.

* * *

It was nearing 6 pm, and most of the guests had arrived. Dinner was supposed to start in five minutes, but they were missing someone: the guest of honour.

"Where is that boy?" asked impatient Professor McGonagall. "He'll be late for his own funeral that one!"

"We can only hope so, Minerva." replied the kind old headmaster with an amused smile. Which brought on several scattered chuckles.

Ginny looked around at the assembled guests. Ron and Hermione sat together, apparently uncomfortably, on the couch. Ginny smiled to herself as she wondered if it was because they were anxious for Harry to arrive, or if the proximity to each other was just too much for them. Mike Walthers was pointing around the room at various wizarding items and explaining what they were to his wife, Chantal. Hestia Jones sat off to the side chatting comfortably with Kingsley Shacklebolt. Remus and Tonks were talking off in one of the corners. Ginny had a feeling those two would need chaperoning eventually. Dedalus Diggle and Elphias Doge were having a discussion about quidditch, apparently. (At least she _hoped_ it was about quidditch.) Emmeline Vance and Mad-eye Moody were both telling off Dung for something or other. Her father was chatting with the Headmaster, professor McGonagall and professor Flitwick. Even Hagrid had made it for tonight's festivities. Her mother was, of course, running in and out of the kitchen, and her twin brothers would be coming later after they had finished setting some things up at their soon to be opening store. All in all, a good crowd of people.

Remus had saved Tonks from the onslaught of questions by the teenagers upon her arrival, saying he needed to go over some Order scheduling business. Tonks decided to thanked him again.

"Look, I wasn't doing it for you." he assured her is a quiet voice, with a small grin playing on his lips. "I just don't want you to accidentally cave in and tell them everything. I know how easy it is to trick you into giving things away."

Tonks huffed at this "Giving things away! I'm a trained Auror. I do not crack under interrogation!" she said adamantly.

"I'm sure you don't. But why were they questioning you in the first place? As I recall, I avoided a couple of trick steps, and an itching powder covered pair of shorts due to your inability to keep the joke to yourself not even two weeks ago." he reminded her.

She blushed slightly remembering her mistake. "Yeah, well Harry taught me, after that, not to ruin anymore of his pranks by turning them against me. I still find myself scratching my butt from time to time."

"I've noticed." said Remus with a small chuckle.

Tonks got a sly grin "Why Moony, have you been looking at my ass?" she asked suggestively. But she did not get the embarrassed response she was expecting.

Instead, he leaned his face in a little closer to hers and asked, "And what if I was?" The most shocking part of that question, to Tonks anyways, was the honesty in his eyes.

She was saved from having to answer him, as her face was starting to flush, by the loud knocking at the front door.

"I wonder who that could be." asked Mrs. Weasley playfully as she made her way to the door. She had guessed it was Harry since everyone else was already here.

She opened the door to see a young man about 6'1" wearing a red dragon scale robe with gold scale trim around the edges. His long black hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail causing several strands to hang down in front of his face. Not knowing who it was, or how he could have seen the door if he hadn't been invited by Albus, she invited him.

As he entered they all jumped out and yelled "SURPRISE!" but soon the joyous greeting turned into a panicked confusion as practically everyone in the room drew their wand and pointed it at the intruder.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" growled a seasoned Moody from behind his erect wand.

The young, very well built, finely dressed man simply smile and replied with an air of confidence. "Well Moody, this _is_ my house..."he paused while letting that statement sink in before adding "and I was hoping to attend my birthday party." added Harry. His grin became a full blown smile as he saw the looks of utter confusion on the faces of all present. Everyone, that it, except Remus, Tonks and Kingsley who had been huddled in the back corner trying _really_ hard to suppress their giggles.

"H-h-harry?" stuttered a shocked Ginny

He nodded and slowly lifted his hand to move aside the hair that was covering his scar.

The rest of the room continued to just stand in silence as their mouths collectively dropped to the floor.

This was just too much for the three in the corner as they let loose with howling fits of laughter. They had all given trying to remain standing on their own. Remus and Tonks held on to each other so as not to fall over and hurt themselves while Kingsley had become one with the statue by the mantle. Dumbledore could be seen with a large smile and a vibrant twinkle in his eye as well, having seen Harry from time to time during his training, he knew who this young man was.

Seeing his slack-jawed friends was too much for Harry as well as he joined the three in the corner with laughter of his own.

As the befuddled mass of people slowly regained their cool, calm and collected exteriors, they started their barrage of inevitable questions. All at once.

"How did you do this?", "What have you been doing?", "What have you been eating?", "Who are you, and what have you done with the scrawny little boy I sat with on the Hogwarts Express?" Harry was laughing at the onslaught of question, especially Ron's, when Hermione's voice cut through the babble.

"IT WAS YOU!" she yelled. "It was YOU today at Diagon Alley! You were the one who took out 12 Death...HARRY JAMES POTTER! HOW COULD YOU GO AND PUT YOURSELF IN THAT KIND OF DANGER?" Now, with tears pouring down her extremely red face, she through herself at her friend, wrapping him in a tight hug as if to make sure he was ok.

"It's ok Hermione, it's ok." he said as he returned the hug. He decided to try what he had done with the little girl earlier that day again, so he started to take in her grief and fear at almost having lost a friend, and start pushing out his own feeling of peace and calm.

Hermione slowly stopped crying as a feeling of peace started to fill her. Her eyes went wide as she realized, looking up at Harry's smiling face, that he was the one making her feel that way. _He_ was influencing her emotions.

"Harry?" she asked in a small voice, "How are you doing this?"

Lifting his eyes from her when he noticed the silence in the room, he saw that everyone around him wanted to know the answer to that question too, by the looks on their faces, they were feeling the same thing as she was. Even the three jokers in the back corner had a look of peace and confusion crossing their features. Pausing for a moment he separated himself from Hermione and, 'feeling' the room, he could sense a general feeling of disbelief and curiosity.

"My friends," he said, addressing them all, with a grin on his face and a very Dumbledorish twinkle in his eye, "this is just one of the many and marvelous mysteries that make up me, Harry Potter." And then sent out a feeling of joy and happiness to all assembled. The feeling, however, didn't last long, as Harry found he was rapidly losing his strength. It would appear that this particular ability took a lot out of him.

After the happiness died, everyone went back to looking confused. Until Mrs. Weasley spoke up.

"Harry love, that was beautiful." she said smiling through the small tear in her eye as she reached over and pulled him into a motherly hug.

After the hug, Harry went on to give them a brief, and extremely edited version of what he had been up to these last two weeks. He told them that he had been exploring some of his family history(which was not untrue) and had discovered that the Potters had a very long list of hereditary magical gifts. He then told them that he tested himself for many of them and found that he was, indeed, an empathy of sorts with the ability to share emotions with others(which no one had ever heard of before), a metamorphmagus and that he seemed to have a knack for Sorcery as Tonks and Hermione had witnessed earlier.

It was at this point that Tonks and Kingsley took it upon themselves to relate the news to days events to all assembled.

"YOU WHAT?" cried an outraged and very concerned werewolf after they had finished. "Harry, how could you even think about doing something so rash? You could have been killed?"

"That's just it, Moony. I didn't have time to think. They would have killed her if I hadn't acted." He then told them about the little girl and what he had witnessed, "And I'd do it again if I were in the same situation. Nothing you could say would make me do otherwise. I will _not_ stand by and let someone die. Not if I can stop it." he replied with determination and righteous anger, not at Remus, but at evil in general apparently.

That story seemed to be enough to appease Remus, and everyone else who had been upset at him too for that matter. He then muttered a quick apology for his outburst.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" asked a concerned Mrs. Weasley, "That must have take a lot out of you."

"That's ok Mrs. Weasley. I was able to take a nap afterwards." he said as he cast a knowing look over to Remus and Tonks who knew he had had much more then just a nap, "besides, this is my first ever birthday party. I wouldn't miss it for the world." he added and everyone there smiled.

Harry took this time to greet everyone in the room and thank them for coming. He greeted each order member and the professors, hugged and greeted Ron and Ginny but he was especially happy to see that both Mike and Chantal were able to make it. He hadn't realized how much he missed his conversations with Mike from earlier this summer until now. No matter how everything was turning out at present, it was still nice every now and then to just be able to talk to someone about nothing at all.

"Now I'm no expert," started Harry after saying his hellos. With a look of mock confusion on his face he continued, "But shouldn't there be a _cake_ or something?" putting more emphasis on the word cake then the or something, drawing a slight chuckle from the people present.

Mrs. Weasley took this as a hint that the birthday boy was hungry and called them in for dinner which they all enjoyed with light conversation. Mostly light anyways. I would appear that Hermione had taken this time to chastise a now rather embarrassed Tonks for not only keeping the identity for the 'Hero of Diagon Alley', as the Prophet had dubbed him, a secret, but also for making innuendos about her best friend and practically brother in her presence! Harry was intrigued, if not a little bit embarrassed when he heard how Tonks had suggested 'getting to know him better' to Hermione earlier, and decided to save that little bit of information for later. For the second time(at least) that night, Ron was unsure about why he was feeling happy at Hermione's proclamation about seeing Harry as a brother.

* * *

The meal didn't go smoothly after that either. Midway through it, Ron was getting confused as the mashed potatoes he kept putting on his plate seemed to disappear between the time he slopped them on, and the time it took him to get the gravy ladle to it. Tonks, Hermione and Ginny were giggle furiously at Ron's confused expression. This happened four times before he smacked Harry upside the head, finally remembering that he was a sorcerer now and didn't need his wand for simple magic like that.

"I swear mate. I'm either gonna love ya or kill ya this year. It all depends if you decide to use your powers for good or evil. Evil, of course, being to prank me, and good being to prank the Slytherins." he explained with a grin.

"We'll see." said Harry mysteriously with a twinkle in his eye.

"You've got a Dumbledore twinkle! How do you do that?" said Ron in shock and disbelief, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Really?" asked Harry innocently, "I hadn't noticed." And he went back to eating his meal.

At that time the twins walked in and were greeted promptly. Forgetting about his most recent question, Ron returned to the food in front if him. This time, luckily for Harry, it didn't move.

After dinner they all gathered in the sitting room to watch Harry open his gifts. The Order gave them their gift first. They had all chipped in and bought Harry a beautiful, black, dragon scale belt with a wand or dagger sheath(adjustable) slots to hold 6 vials of potion that, and a sword scabbard. A further enchantment on it made it impossible for any of the items in the belt to be removed by anyone but the wearer. Harry thanked them all as he put it on, while commenting that the vial holders would come in handy, but he doubted he'd need the sword sheath anytime soon. This comment brought a smile to Ron and Ginny's face. Curiously enough, it brought a small smile to Dumbledore's face as well.

Remus and Tonks, having seen Harry's place and not having _any_ clue what Harry did, or didn't, already have, went in together and bought him the safest thing they could think of: a gift certificate to Flourish and Blotts.

Mike and his wife had bought him the soundtrack to the movie 'Forest Gump' saying that the collections of 'classics' on it were incredible, and that he'd recommend it to anyone.

The Weasleys had given him a broom cleaning kit and a container of home made goodies.

Ron and Ginny got him a Chudley Canons Poster (big surprise there) and some assorted wizarding sweets. (Ron had told Harry earlier that he'd get his 'real' gift from them when no one else was around.)

The twins had given him a package of assorted wheezes from their soon to opened store, and also quietly let him know that he'd get his real gift later.

Hermione had given him a book on Native American rituals and enchantments.

Then Hagrid handed him a small box. "Gently" he said.

Harry opened the box. Inside he found a small golden egg about the size and shape of a snitch. "What is it Hagrid?"

"That's a Snidget egg, that is." he replied proudly.

"Hagrid!" chastised a stern McGonagall. "Those are endangered creatures! You can't buy them legally."

"Oh don't be worryin' about that pr'fessor. This little guy wadn't bought no where. I found 'im in the forest. 'Is momma was dead on the groun' below and covered in blood. Reckon som'in attacked 'er and didn' see the egg." He then returned his attention to the birthday boy, "You see 'Arry. Snidgets were what they used to use in the olden days before someone invented the snitch in Quidditch. Dang quick little buggers, lemme tell ya!" explained Hargrid. "I put…I mean…I got someone to put a warmin' charm on 'im to keep 'im at the right temper'ture for 'aching."

"Thanks Hagrid, I know just where I'll keep him." smiled Harry as he thought of all the small creatures in the park in Potter Mansion. 'I wonder if I already have a snidget in there?' he thought to himself. He hadn't spent enough time in the park trying to figure out what he had yet. He should do that before returning to school. It might come in handy for Care of Magical creatures or even some potion ingredients.

McGonagall then walked up to Harry and handed him something he had been longing for what seemed like an eternity now. His Firebolt.

"This isn't a present Potter, but when I was cleaning out that...I mean...professor Umbridge's room, I came across it and thought I should return it to it's rightful owner."

"Thank you Professor. This is probably one of the best things I've received all night." he said with honestly as his eyes lit up with happiness. Noticing the other presents in front of him however, and remembering the room was full of the people who had _given_ him those presents, he quickly tried to recover, "Not that the other presents aren't great, they're all terrific, honest!" he sputtered. This brought a good natured chuckle from all.

Dumbledore approached him after all the other gifts were gone and presented him with a long box and explained,

"This isn't so much a present either, Harry, as I am just returning it to it's rightful heir."

Harry opened the box to reveal the sword of Godric Gryffindor inside.

Drawing the sword out of box, he noticed how comfortable it felt in his hand, almost as though it was an extension of his arm. He knew he didn't know the first thing about sword fighting, but he also knew that if he'd ever have to use one...again, this would be the sword for him.

Everyone in the room had been confused at Dumbledore's comment about Harry being the rightful heir. So Harry decided to enlighten them.

"You see," started Harry, "This is the sword of Godric Gryffindor. I found out from the same source on my family's powers, that my ancestor, William Potter, married Godric Gryffindor's eldest daughter Esther. Since he had no sons of his own, the eldest son in the Potter line became not only the heir of Potter, but also that of Gryffindor. I am the Heir of Gryffindor." he said matter-of-factly but at the same time with authority that no one questioned, "and so this sword belongs to me." summed up Harry with a confidence none present had ever seen in him. "That is also why I'm wearing this robe. This is the Robe of Gryffindor, created by Godric himself to help his descendants in their fight against dark wizards. Actually, I think he made specifically for his fight against Salazar, but it now serves a duel purpose." He added with a smile. After many conversations with Godric he had come to realize that the only thing Godric ever made for someone else was Potter Mansion. Not as to say he was selfish, just practical and quick to act without thinking of long term results. In other words, like a true Gryffindor. Those who knew his familiarity with Godric himself smiled at this subtle joke, while the others just nodded in agreement.

Standing up, he sheathed his sword in the belt that the Order had given him. And along with the robe, he truly did look like a founder's heir.

The moment was interrupted as the twins came back into the room with a rather large box, with a string attached to it.

"Sorry Harry." said Fred

"We forgot the rest of your present." explained George

"We'd heard that you'd never had one" said Fred

"So we thought we'd make you one so you can have one whenever you want." added George

"So without any further adieu" exclaimed Fred

"We present to you" cried out George

"Your" Fred

"Very Own…" George

They pulled the string and the box collapsed to reveal a toilet. A toilet, whose lid started to rise and fall as it sang a rather off key version of 'Happy Birthday'

"Birthday Potty!" they proclaimed as one. As everyone in the room broke down in fits of hysterics.

* * *

**AN:** Oh, I love my puns. :D Or maybe I just have a thing for potty humour. HA! Ok, ok…I'll stop. My thanks, again, go out to all my reviewers:

**BferBear****, Aggy, Kordolin, Catryn SilverMoon, Unknown11, BlindJedi, lluvatar, Hermey****, Luanwolf, Melian Maia, RogueBludger, chaser1, Krazy lunitiK, Panther28, Kordolin, katsuya 102, gaul1, ****Sugarbear, ****athenakitty**

Please keep reading, reviewing, and hopefully enjoying :)

Farfumsane


	14. Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer:** I am at a loss. I am at a loss to think of a witty or original disclaimer. sigh ah well…it's hers, not mine. No money is entering my negative balanced bank account as a result of it, so don't sue me.

**Chap 13: Secrets Revealed**

Harry woke up the next morning with a rather nasty head ache. He wasn't sure if it was because Voldemort was trying to get in and he had been subconsciously been practicing occlumency all night, or if it was because the rather large bottle of Ogdens Old Firewhiskey that he, the twins and Ron had consumed.

The singing toilet had been a good ending to the party the night before, according to most of the guests, as they had started making their way home shortly after that. With most of the guests gone, Mrs. Weasley then shooed all the kids up stairs to bed. Ron told him, as they were changing into their night wear, that he'd get his gift from him and Ginny the next day when they were all together again. He and Ron were sharing a much larger room now and they were about to go to sleep when in popped Fred and George.

Fred was carrying a rolled up piece of parchment that looked official, and George was carrying what Harry now thought of as the bane of his existence: the firewhiskey.

The parchment was an official document stating that Harry owned one third of 'Weasley Wizarding Wheezes'. He had tried to refuse, saying that the money was a gift, but the twins insisted. Ron hadn't been as bothered about it as Harry had feared. Ron was too relieved to find out that the twins' initial capital had come from a legitimate source to be jealous of their success. The firewhiskey, of course, had been to celebrate.

"Ohhhh…" moaned Harry as he made his way to the loo, "I'm never gonna drink again." he vowed emptily to whoever might be listening.

"Amen to that, brother." agreed Ron as he lifted his head, groggily from the toilet. Harry hadn't noticed him there. Of course, Harry hadn't noticed much of anything yet except the extreme ringing in his ears and pounding in his head.

Realizing that the on suite facilities were occupied, Harry decided to walk the short distance to Sirius' room and use the washroom in Potter Mansion.

Upon entering, Harry was greeted by an overly chipper, and overly loud Stewy. "Good morning Harry." he smiled enthusiastically. "What can Stewy do for Harry this morning?" he asked with evident anticipation in his voice.

"First off," grunted Harry, holding his hand against his continually throbbing head, "You can whisper. Second; is there anything here that can help with the after affects of a night of extreme alcoholic consumption?" inquired Harry

"Yes Harry!" yelled Stewy excitedly before remembering to whisper, causing Harry to grab his own head with both hands, "Sorry Harry," he apologized in a whisper noticing his masters discomfort, "Stewy is having a hang-over cure in the kitchen, Harry. Stewy will go and get it for Harry."

Harry watched as Stewy vanished with a quiet pop, thankful that house elves are don't make much noise when they apparate, and then sunk down onto the marble floor and put his head against the cold surface. It brought him temporary relief as he awaited Stewy's return.

Stewy returned shortly with a rotten smelling, pastel green, bubbling concoction that reminded him very much of the stuff Ron had been producing only seconds earlier in the on suite washroom.

"Here Harry, drink this. Stewy is promising that it will make you feel better." the bright eyed house elf whispered, having remembered finally not to yell.

Harry eyed the potion suspiciously, but drank it, all be it reluctantly, none the less. What happened next was surprising to him. It felt as though the inside of his body had taken a refreshing cold shower and washed away all the grogginess and sickness, leaving him re-energized and surprisingly cheerful.

"Wow Stewy, what is this stuff?"

"It is being a secret recipe that Master Petrius is teaching Stewy. It is like pepper-up potion, but also 'ri-hy-daraytes' drinker's body after losing lots of water too alcohol and 'el-il-imates' all alcohol in the body." replied a smiling Stewy, obviously proud at having remembered the portrait's explanation.

"Could you make me up another one?" asked Harry with his best friend in mind.

"Yes Sir, Harry. Stewy will be right back." And with a small pop, he was gone.

* * *

Harry took this time run up to his room to shower and get dressed. Having slipped back in last night before bed to safely store his cloak, he put it on again this morning and with a pair of black velvety material pants and a flowing white silk shirt, much like you see those guys wearing on the covers of romance novels. Noticing his apparel, he turned to the mirror, broadened his facial features, straightened and then turned his hair blond then smiled in a sexy manner. 

"Hi, I'm Fabio." he said seductively in a low husky voice, wearing his best Lockhart smile. Then laughing to himself, he turned his appearance back to normal, he put on a pair of black dragon hide boots he had found in his closet and made for the front door.

'Man, I've been gone for an hour. They're all gonna be wondering where I went' he thought to himself as he raced down the stairs.

Stewy was waiting by the door when Harry arrived and handed his master the potion.

"Thanks Stewy. I have a friend right now making a call on the porcelain telephone whose gonna be very thankful for this." said Harry as he chuckled to himself.

Stewy just smiled and nodded. He was completely lost at his master's obscure statement, but thought it best not to question him, since he of course found it rather amusing.

* * *

Harry ran to his and Ron's room to find Ron slowly emerging from the water-closet. 

"What happened to you?" inquired Ron with his sickly green face, "did ya fall in? You were gone for a good fifteen minutes!" Then, taking a closer look at his friend, Ron added, "Wow! Nice threads. Where all did you go shopping at Diagon alley that day anyway?"

'Shoot, I guess I should take that spell off the mansion or I could really screw up my sleep schedule' thought Harry.

"These aren't from the Alley" corrected Harry, "I'll be filling you guys in today about everything. You just have to be patient." explained Harry in a chipper, if not a little loud voice.

"Harry please!" pleaded Ron while clutching his head "Have some pity on the hung-one"

"Here," said Harry while handing Ron Stewy's brew "drink this, you'll feel tons better." Promised Harry.

With the same hesitation that Harry had shown earlier, Ron took the potion and drank it and just like Harry, looked totally refreshed in under a minute.

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Ron in disbelief, "I didn't much care for the taste, but the effects are brilliant! What is this stuff?"

"That I can't tell you until you guys hear my explanation...do you see a pattern developing here?" inquired Harry with one raised eyebrow, a small smirk and a twinkle in his eye."

"Ok, ok...I get the picture. I know Ginny and I are dying to hear all about it. And I can't wait to hear where you got that blasted twinkle from...it's like having a much younger, mini Dumbledore around." Ron said with a smirk of his own.

Harry responded with a slight jab to the shoulder and told him to get dressed.

'That potion must have some cheering qualities, Ron's never this happy in this soon after getting up.' thought Harry.

_You're telling me!_ Said that distinctly female voice that he hadn't heard from since the beginning of the summer.

Not only that, but now that he had more occlumency training he could tell that the voices source was _NOT_ coming from his own head!

'Ah, my _conscience_ I haven't heard form you in a while.'

_You haven't really needed me._ She explained, though rather hesitantly

'You see, miss. Since I've been gone, I've become quite adept at occlumency. I can now tell that this voice is _NOT_ coming from any part of me. Since you have only helped me in the past, I had not thought to block you out; however, I want you to be aware that I will be treating everything you say as the words of another from now on. Now, would you care to introduce yourself properly?' thought Harry projecting his thoughts to whoever this person might be.

Harry was sure this person, or being, or whatever it was didn't mean him harm, after all, his kneazle sense would be going wild just like when the death eater was talking to him in Diagon Alley. So he decided to let her visit from time to time in hopes of finding out who it was, knowing full well that unless she told him, he probably wouldn't be able to figure out who she was.

_No, I don't think I will. It is much more fun this way. Besides, if you found out, you would probably block me out more often then if you didn't._ Responded the voice mysteriously.

Blocking off the voice, he thought tom himself. 'Well...this is obviously someone I know. And someone who figures I wouldn't be that open with them. Could it be McGonagall?' Harry shuddered at the thought of his head of house in his head. 'No, it couldn't be. She would have stopped us from doing all those things behind the teachers' backs. Then who? Molly, she might not have been able to reach me mentally so far away at Hogwarts. Maybe Tonks, or Hermione, or Ginny, or Luna, or Hestia, or...heck, it could be anybody! Scratch that, any female. Ah well. Guess I could just play along for now until a better opportunity arises.'

Reopening his mind, he responded 'well..I guess I can accept that for the moment. Without your help I never would have made it earlier this summer. The guilt was getting to me and it was you who helped, so for that, I will always be grateful to you. But don't think I'm not going to try to figure out who you are!" he replied playfully.

_It's a deal._

"...Harry...earth to Harry..." said Ron waving his hand in front of Harry's face "I've been trying to get your attention for a couple of minutes now, mate. Where have you been?"

"Right here in body, just deep in thought." he responded while smiling slyly.

"Let me guess 'You'll find out more about it when I get a chance to explain everything' right?" inquired Ron with is best Harry imitation.

Harry just laughed and nodded. Noticing that Ron was dressed, he motioned for him to follow down to the kitchen. It was grub time.

"Man, Harry. Remind me never to do that again. I don't remember anything after my second drink." confessed Ron.

"Well," started Harry with a sly smile, "if you want a recap, it went something like this: 'Hermione this and Hermione that. Man she's so pretty. Gorgeous, etcetera, etcetera.' End recap."

Ron had turned a very pale shade of white. "I...I didn't!" He stated with a shocked air of disbelief and worry.

"I'm afraid you did mate." nodded Harry. "It wasn't a great surprise to me. However Fred and George found it particularly interesting, not to mention hilarious."

Harry had not thought it possible, but Ron's face had found a way to turn even whiter...it was almost translucent. You could practically see the blood leaving his face, only to be replaced by an ever deepening expression of dread. One would think he was looking at Voldemort himself. "Bugger me!" he was able to squeak out.

"You know Ron. There's a way you can diffuse this situation and possibly even turn into something beneficial for you." stated Harry

"Stop it mate, use smaller words. You're starting to sound like Hermione." said Ron trying to follow.

"Should I be worried about your reaction if I don't?" asked Harry cheekily.

After a second or two, Ron got the joke and punch Harry in the arm. "You know what I mean."

"I do. But what I was trying to say was that there's a way you can make this good for you." explained Harry in simpler English.

"And that would be…?" inquired Ron.

"Simple. Tell her yourself." Harry said matter-of-factly.

"You've GOT to be kidding me? Tell her? Out loud? To her face?" sputtered Ron practically his knees buckling at the mere thought of coming clean with his emotions.

"That's what I like to see. True Gryffindor Courage!" Harry said as he rolled his eyes. Of course, he too knew how hard it was after trying and failing last year with Cho, so he decided to let it drop as they approached the door to the kitchen. As he neared, he heard excited voices from the other side.

"They just passed out." he heard through the door. Stopping in their tracks, Harry and Ron decided to listen for a while longer to find out how they wanted to play this.

"Yeah, Fred and I pretended to drink it too, but we just dumped ours back in when they weren't looking."

"Finished a whole bottle of themselves they did" added Fred

"Can't wait to see them this morning." said George anxiously

"Walking dead I bet." explained Fred.

Ron and Harry just grinned at each other and opened the door wide. With a big smile, and an over exaggerated joy, Ron spoke first.

"A bright and cheerful morning to everyone. Man, did I sleep brilliantly last night."

"Me too," interjected Harry "Most refreshed I've felt in ages!" Harry smiled at noticing the twins' slack jawed expressions.

Remus, Ginny, Hermione and even Mad-eye were laughing quietly at the reaction Fred and George were giving after being so confident only second before that the other two would be incapacitated.

Molly came over with a pan of food for Harry and Ron, "There you are dears." Then turning to Fred and George, "I knew you'd been putting us on. Harry and Ron would never indulge in that kind of drinking binge. They're both good boys, unlike you two!" She stated forcefully while pointing a finger at them "since I had been thinking up a punishment for the heavy drinking you had said they were doing last night, it seems only fair that you two fulfill it since it's obvious you were only trying to get them in trouble!"

"But mom!" started Fred

"It's true, we were there" continued George

"There's no way they could be this chipper" stated Fred

"...when we didn't have a drop ourselves" finished George.

"Well then, it would seem I should be getting you in trouble for willfully providing Fire whiskey to a minor! Either way, you WILL clean the attic out, dust it, mop it and wax the wood floor. And before you go, you'll apologize to both Ron and Harry for this very ill planned prank. Frankly boys, I've come to expect a lot more from you two."

The twins weren't sure if she was talking about their behaviour or the detail they usually put into their pranks. Either way, they grudgingly got up, muttered an apology to Harry and Ron before glaring daggers at them, and left the room bound for the attic.

Ron and Harry just smiled to themselves before loading their plates up with food.

Hermione was the first to start conversation after the activity returned to normal. Speaking only loud enough for Ron to hear, and Harry to eavesdrop in on, she asked, "Does that mean that you didn't say all the things they said you did last night?"

"What things?" asked Ron a little too quickly, but recovering from the initial surprise of her question rather well.

"Things about...well, they said you talked about...about some girls you liked." she tried to explain stuttering a bit and looking kind of embarrassed.

Harry noticed that Ginny was trying hard to suppress a chuckle at this line of questioning.

"What? No, no of course not." said Ron, he too a little embarrassed. "Why would we talk about y...I mean that kind of thing?"

"Oh, no reason. Just wondering. It did sound a little far fetched." said Hermione in an attempt to recover, but looking more and more disappointed by the second.

Ron was too relieved that this conversation was nearing a close to notice the change in Hermione's mood.

"Anyways," started Harry in a hushed tone, "I thought that after breakfast, we could all meet up in Sirius' room and I start to explain what's going on with me. If you all have no objections." They all shook their heads and agreed to meet with him after breakfast.

Much to Mrs. Weasley's delight, Ron, Hermione and Ginny offered to help clean up after the meal.

Harry then approached Molly and asked, "Mrs. Weasley, I was wondering if it would be alright if the four of us cleaned up Sirius' old room today." He said with a somber expression. "I know it's something I should do, but I would like the support of my friends as I do it, without interruptions if that's ok." Harry looked at her with a pleading look in his eyes.

Molly's expression was soft and understanding, "Of course Harry dear. You four take as much time as you need. I won't bother you for lunch either. Whenever you get hungry, just come down and help yourselves. I'll still be calling you for dinner though at about six tonight and Charlie and Bill will be here for it too."

"Ok Mrs. Weasley. Thanks." he added with what he hoped was a genuine smile. His years of manipulating Uncle Vernon were starting to pay off. Not that he had _lied_ to Mrs. Weasley, but he hadn't told her the whole truth either. This way they could talk without interruption, and not arouse suspicion. As for cleaning Sirius' room, he'd just ask Stewy to do it later...when Hermione wasn't around.

* * *

After dishes were done, they moved the party up to Sirius' room. Once there, Harry closed and locked the door. He then, wandlessly and wordlessly, cast an imperturbable charm on the door so that none of what he was about to confess to his friends could be overheard. 

Hermione looked like she was ready to burst with questions already. She had noticed the spells he had jsut cast. But he stopped her and motinoed them all to sit.

They all took a seat and anxiously awaited Harry's explanation.

"First off, I know I told each of you in the letters I sent that I was grateful that you've stuck by me for so long even though I have a tendency to act like a total prat on occasion."

"On occasion?" inquired Ron jokingly, causing him to receive a quick elbow from Hermione who had seated herself beside him. Harry smiled at the exchange and continued and shook his head.

"I just wanted to let you know that it has meant a lot to me. In those letters, I also told you that I had something to talk to you about. Well, now I'm gonna tell you, and try our friendship, yet again." They all looked at each other with worried expressions. Harry raised his hand to stem any comments that may arise from this comment and continued.

"I'm going to tell you the following for several reasons. First: Had I been told this information sooner, it might have save Sirius' life. Second: You have the right to know just how much trouble you'll be getting into if you chose to stay with me. And third: and most importantly to me, you are my friends and I refuse to have secrets form you anymore." And then turning his gaze to Ginny specifically "any of you." He noticed her shift a little uncomfortably and look away when he told her this, but he just chalked it up to not knowing what he was going to reveal.

"I'll be talking to Neville and Luna about this too before school starts to see where they stand as well." added Harry, addressing the group as a whole again.

"Now, before I tell you anything, I just want to let you know, again, how much I appreciate the support that each of you have given me in the past years, and to let you know that whatever you decide after hearing this, I'll never think les of you. The reason I'm doing this is that I _have_ to give you a chance to walk away from this , if I don't, then I'm being as unmerciful as the fates have been to me." He noticed their confused expressions and continued.

"Ok, here is it. You all remember the prophecy that Voldemort wanted to recover that night." Harry was pleased to note that not one of them flinched at the sound of Tom's fictitious name. "Apparently, it was not lost after all. Dumbledore was the one who'd heard it initially and recovered it. The night we returned from the ministry he brought me back to his office, took out his pensive and showed me the prophecy being told the first time. It said:

_'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he must have a power the Dark Lord knows not…and either will die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…'_ (1)

"Who did he hear it from?" asked Hermione after a couple of seconds of silence.

"Professor Trelawney, at her interview with Dumbledore. That's the reason she got the job actually." said Harry with a little bit of amusement in his voice.

"That wacko? And he believed her?" asked Ron skeptically.

"You've never seen or heard her make a real prediction Ron. Remember in third year when I told you she made hat prediction about the dark lord's return? Well, this was exactly like it. Plus Dumbledore himself told me back then that he had only heard of her ever making two real predictions. The one that I had heard and another that he wouldn't tell me about: This one. It's real." stated Harry in a defeated tone.

"So that means it'll come down to you or him. You or Tom." realized Ginny aloud.

"Yes Gin. Me or Tom. That's why I have to give you guys the chance to leave now. Things are only going to get worse around me before they get better, if they get better, and I refuse to lead you into this with your eyes closed as to the possible outcome. I had to give you the truth, and now I have to let you decide for yourselves." said Harry sadly, almost to himself, as he turned his back to his friends to face the closet. "If you choose to leave now, I won't think any less of you. To be honest, I almost hope you do leave, that way at least you'll be safer then hanging around me."

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" started Hermione as she grabbed him by the shoulder and swung him back around. "You should know by now that we will NEVER leave you." she said as she engulfed him in a hug and he could see small tears forming in her eyes.

"Well, mate, it's not really news to me. I kinda figured that much out for myself. I mean really, who _else _would survive that often against the most evil dark wizard in history if not for the one who's supposed to take him down? You've just confirmed my suspicions is all. Besides, what are friends for? You're stuck with us mate!" said Ron.

"I'm starting to figure that out" confessed Harry as a small smile now began to appear on his face.

"Besides," added Ginny as she went and joined Hermione in hugging Harry, "If I left now, I'd never get to hear the reason you were here two weeks ago and told me not to tell anyone." she concluded with a grin.

"You were here? And didn't even say hi to me?" asked Ron in disbelief "I have more of a mind to walk out now then I did a couple of minutes ago. To think, you picked visiting with my sister over me! I'm hurt!" added Ron mockingly.

Separating himself from the girls, Harry retorted "Ron, that's not how it was, and if you would just sit down again, all of you," looking at the girls, "I can finish telling you what's happened with me this summer. If you still have questions after I'm done I'll answer them. Just let me finish before you interrupt." he finished with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. They all nodded in agreement and sat down.

Harry proceeded to tell them everything. From his time with mike, to his colorful encounter with Tonks, the rubix cube, the portraits, the time difference and his training. He told them everything. He had never shared this much with anyone before, and he felt a sense of relief, like he had finally exhaled a long breathe he didn't know he had been holding.

They all sat dumbfounded. Similar expressions of shock played upon each of their faces. Harry couldn't help but smile. He never thought he'd see the day where Hermione would be speechless.

"Well?" asked Harry after several seconds of awkward silence.

Apparently that was all the prompting they needed as they each launched into their own set of question:

"When are you gonna take us there?" "Can I see your animagus forms?" "How many books did you say you had?" "When can I meet Godric Gryffindor's portrait?" "Can we train with you too?" "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE SCRAWNY LITTLE BOY I SAT WITH ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS?" Ron's rather loud question silenced the others, and caused Harry to begin laughing again at his best friends.

Looking down at his watch, he said "We can go now if you'd like, and since I haven't finished the spell yet, we can stay the night and have plenty of time tomorrow before we have to be back here for dinner tonight." The three of them looked at him in confusion. "Ok, if you REALLY want to know what I meant, ask Godric, he'd love to explain it to you. But for now, please," he said as he motioned towards the door behind him. "Follow me" he concluded with a large smile as the group followed him into the closet.

* * *

---------- Hermione's POV 

"Welcome to Potter Mansion, guests of the master." said a short little house elf that Hermione found very smartly dressed.

"Really Harry! Owning a house elf. I would have thought better of you. Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying these last few years?" she asked him skeptically.

'You'd think being from a muggle background he'd know more about slavery and how wrong it is.' she thought adamantly.

"Hermione, you just don't understand." he started "and I don't have the time to explain to you what a house elf feels like when he had a master who cares for him. Besides," he said now turning his attention to the house-elf there "How many times have a told you to call me Harry, Stewy? These are my friends, like you are. Besides, even if they weren't, I still want you to call me Harry. OK?" he concluded with a smile.

"Yes Harry, Stewy will call you Harry from now on, but please forgive Stewy when he forgets. It is hard to change Stewy's way of thinking over night." said the house elf in an ashamed manner.

"Stewy," said Harry, "of course I'll forgive you. I've told you before that you are allowed to make mistakes. Heck, I do all the time. And if you ask these people behind," Motioning to his other two friends still starring in awe at the surrounding, "I'm sure they could tell you about many instances where I have."

Hermione noticed that Harry's kind words seemed to sooth Stewy and he was now smiling. Hermione continued to watch as Harry introduced everyone

"Stewy, this is Hermione, Ron and Ginny. They are my friends from Hogwarts. They'll be staying here over night. Would you please set 3 more table settings and prepare some rooms for them as well?"

"Most definitely Harry, it would be an honour." He bowed to the new comers and with a small pop, disappeared form the entry hall.

* * *

---------- Ginny's POV 

"Welcome to Potter Mansion, guests of the master." she heard from the small house elf in front of her. But she heard nothing much more after that as Hermione went off on one of her SPEW kicks.

She looked around, gaping at the lavish decorations. He eyes were drawn to the man decorations, the suits of armour, the ornate shield, the large coat of arms hanging above them, the many weapons lining the walls.

'Hang on...what's that?' As her attention was being drawn to one of the swords on the wall.

She looked back to her friends for a second and watched as the elf, 'Stewy was it?' vanished and then turned back to the sword that seemed to be pulling at her senses.

She approached the wall were if hung and reached for it. She stopped herself, remembering where she was and turned her attention to Harry,

"Harry? Do you mind?" she asked while pointing to the sword on the wall.

"Not at all." he replied with a smile, as he continued to tell Ron about something or other and Hermione seemed to be looking over the family crest.

She reached out and touched the handle. She could feel a faint vibration coming from it at her touch. She grasped it firmly and pulled it off the wall. As she grabbed it the sword seemed to glow faintly and then settle back to normal. The blade was magnificent. Properly weighted, expertly crafted with a very ornate hand guard upon which was displayed the Potter coat of arms.

She swung it a couple of times, and then reached out and grabbed a dirk that was a little further down along the wall. She then began to swing them in a very intricate weave. It was one of the defensive patterns she had read about but had never been able to perform with her practice blades. These blades, however, seemed to be doing it themselves from memory with very little prompting from her.

She kept it going for a good 30 seconds before her concentration was blown.

"Wow!" exclaimed Ron "I never knew you had actually finished working on that one. It looked awesome Gin!"

Ginny turned to see a proud brother and two slack jawed friends staring at her. "I haven't. These are just excellent blades." she said smiling sheepishly as she shyly re-hung them back on the wall.

* * *

---------- Ron's POV 

"Welcome to Potter Mansion, guests of the master." said a well dressed little house-elf before him.

Ron decided to slap on a distracted expression as he took in all the details in this room.

'Wow. It's incredible. There only seems to be one entrance that would need defending, and 5 quick escape routes. Plenty of room to defend yourself in a melee battle, but not much cover for a spell fight. The weapons lining the room seem to be in excellent condition as well. It looks like Harry didn't need our sword after all.' he thought to himself.

He took in every word of Hermione's chastising of Harry, and the entire interaction between Harry and Stewy.

'She's cute when she's angry.' he thought to himself. With a mental kick, he tried to focus on something else.

'It's a good idea to befriend the House-elves. They'll be great allies in the war, not to mention the network of spies they could be for us. They're everywhere and no one ever pays them any attention. I'll have to talk to Harry about that later. Or maybe go straight to Dobby.'

He nodded to Stewy as Harry introduced him and watched as he vanished.

"Harry," started Ron.

Harry turned his attention to his Ron, "I wanted to tell you what Ginny and I got you for your birthday. I'd give it to you now, but it's in our room. You see, Ginny and I have been practicing and training all summer too. But since we're underage, and don't have a cool mansion in another dimension" he added wryly "we're been focusing on sword work."

At this time Ginny interrupted to ask Harry if she could take a closer look at one of the swords. Ron had noticed that rapier in his initial sweep of the room, and was wondering how long it would take her to find it.

He smiled and continued. "We decided that for your birthday we'd go in together and get you a practice blade and also teach you how to use it."

"Really?" said a surprised and happy Harry, "that'd be great!"

"I'm glad you like it." said Ron honestly. "Again, I had figured that you'd be most comfortable with a sword type you already used before, and after seeing what Dumbledore got you lat night I'm glad I did. The practice blade we got you is the same style as the blade of Gryffindor. Ginny remembered what type it was from...you know...the chamber, so we got you one like that."

"That's brilliant!" confessed Harry

"I'm impressed Ron. You've been surprising me a lot lately with your insights. What happened to you?" asked Hermione

"Ouch! Mione, for the smart one of the bunch, you sure do have a knack for sticking your foot in your mouth don't you?" asked Ron a little hurt at her comment.

Turning a deep shade of red, she sputtered "Sorry Ron, that's not what I meant, it's just that..." but her voice trailed off as she noticed Ron's attention was no longer on her, but on his sister who was swinging her swords in a complicated pattern.

"Wow!" exclaimed Ron "I never knew you had actually finished working on that one. It looked awesome Gin!"

Ron's pride was evident in not only his tone of voice, but also the expression on his face.

"I haven't. These are just excellent blades." she said slightly embarrassed as she turned and put the blades back up on the wall.

"Anyways," said Harry "Shall I show you the rest of the house? Or are we planning on camping out in the Entrance?"

At their gracious host's invitation, the group of friends followed Harry on a grand tour of the premises.

* * *

(1) J.K.Rowling, "Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix" chapter 37 

**AN:** Thanks to all my reviewers as well. Keep them comin.

Farfumsane


	15. A Spy Among Us

**Disclaimer:** If I owned this or was making anything off of it, I wouldn't have had to go to the bank last week to take out another loan for school next year. :S (Which I did get btw :) )

**Chap 14: A Spy Among Us**

The tour itself had been rather uneventful. Harry had shown them the lounge, office and sitting room first. Next he had brought them to see the park.

"Harry, it's amazing in here!" said Ginny in complete awe of the four seasoned Park in front of her.

"I've been thinking about changing it season separation back to normal, causing the whole park to be in the same season and have it cycle normally all together. But this way I can have all different kinds of animals in their natural habitat." As soon as Harry had finished speaking, Hedwig flew down from a snowy branch and landed on Harry's shoulder, nipped playfully at his ear a couple of times and flew back into the woods.

They spent another 15 minutes or so admiring the flora and fauna, avoiding the 'spring' as much as possible since it was raining. Hermione noticed that Harry had quite a few very rare plants that are frequently sought after as potions ingredients. Even a few of the animals that wear now considered endangered in the outside world could be seen scurrying about the grounds. Harry was pleased to see, only briefly mind you, that he did indeed already have a snidget or two living in Potter Park so his new friend wouldn't be alone.

After their time in the park, they went to the Room of Requirement. The other 3 were impressed, to say the least, at the fact that Harry had a one to himself. They were surprised to learn, however, about the rooms' limitations.

"Are you saying" paused a contemplative looking Ron "that somewhere in Hogwarts is a storage room full of pillows that we had been using for our lessons?"

"I guess so." answered Harry.

"Well, it would make sense, wouldn't it?" asked Hermione, "just think of the extreme magical power necessary to actually create a room that could conjure up anything the used needed! I couldn't even imagine how much that would be!" she said, answering her own question.

Ginny stood silently in a corner of the room so that no one else would notice her and at the moment the snowball appeared in her hand, she launched it at the back of Hermione's head, laughed loudly and ran out of the room. The look of surprise on Hermione's face was enough to send the other two occupants of the room into fits laughter, not to mention that she was now dripping wet snow and water down her back. It was at that time that Hermione caused a large bucket of water to appear in her hands that she emptied onto the two laughing boys before she too left the room.

Seeing as how they now needed to change, Harry thought this a good time to show them to their rooms. He showed Ron to Remus' room, Hermione to Tonks' and he Ginny in the room next to that.

After having changed into something they found in their rooms, they met up again in the entrance hall, where Harry saw Ginny admiring the rapier again dirk set again. Stewy then appeared to guide them into Potter Hall, and show then to their seats.

All the portraits were present at this meal in order to meet the friends of their young heir, who had stood with him through everything so far. Harry was, as usual, seated at the head of the table, Ron was at his right, Hermione at his left, and Ginny next to her. All the portraits were angled to that they could be seen by all guests.

Godric, who was on the stand next to Ron's chair made all the introductions, and personally welcomed the three members of his house with great pride telling them that with what Harry had told him of their exploits thus far, he was not surprised that they were placed in Gryffindor.

Conversation during the meal consisted of some light story telling by some of the portraits about their days at Hogwarts, and also another failed attempt by Godric to explain the time difference to Hermione. Even she didn't quite get it, but was sure if she could read up on it, she'd be able to figure it out for herself.

Harry also explained that he had been able to speak with Dumbledore the night before in regards to taking the Arithmacy, Ancient Ruins and also Muggle Studies O.W.L.s, explaining that he had been studying them in his spare time over the summer and wanted to see if he could take them at NEWT level. He told them that the Headmaster had agreed and told him that he would take care of the necessary arrangements and would get back to Harry as to when and where the exams would take place.

"What do you mean you've been studying them? I thought you were training?" asked Hermione skeptically.

"I was, but I also had time for some reading. With some neat spells and advanced reading techniques that I've found I'm reading about 1200 pages and hour with a photographic memory. It doesn't take me that long to get through the material. I just have to pause every 200 pages or so for a few minutes to organize everything in my mind before continuing." stated Harry nonchalantly.

"OVER A THOUSAND PAGES AN HOUR?" cried a flabbergasted Hermione. "THAT'S ALMOST 20 PAGES A MINUTE!"

"Bloody hell, I'm impressed if I can get through 20 pages an hour!" said Ron just loud enough for Harry to hear him.

"Like I was telling you guys earlier, I found a LOT of new spells and things here that I think we could use. Tonight we'll go over those spells together and I'll cast the permanent ones on you, and help you learn the other reading tricks. The other temporary spells wont be of much use to you for the rest of the summer since you wont be able to cast anything being under age and all, but in the very least you would be able to do 250 pages an hour, and that's a safe guess." promised Harry.

"I could get through the rest of Hogwarts' library before the end of the year!" squealed an overly excited Hermione, which in turn caused Ron to moan and shake his head.

"Way to go Harry, now we'll never see her!" he said in mock frustration, earning him a playful kick in the shins under the table that turned out to hurt more then he let show.

"That's BRILLIANT Harry! Thank you. That'll make O.W.L.'s so much easier on me!" exclaimed an exstatic Ginny.

"You're welcome. I wish I would have had this last year too. It would have made everything so much easier." admitted Harry.

"Speaking of O.W.L.'s," started Hermione "You never told us what you got Harry."

"Well I got a total of 10 O.W.L.s. I got an A in Astronomy, Divination and Herbology, an exceeding expectations in Charms and Transfiguration, and outstanding in CoMC, DADA and believe it or not, Potions." he finished with a smile.

"But Harry, that only gives you 8, how did you manage 10?" asked a calculating Hermione. "I noticed how you conveniently forgot to tell us your mark in History of Magic, so I'm assuming you got a D. So that means you probably got a double OWL in DADA like we did, but where did you get the other? CoMC? Certainly not Potions, no offense, but I'm surprised you even got a regular Outstanding in that course." she said before she even realized she said it out loud.

"None taken." Harry started to alleviate her embarrassment "I actually gotthree O.W.L.s in DADA."

"Three?" asked a shocked Ron. "I've never heard of anyone ever gettingthree in anything before."

"That's because no one ever has. Double O.W.L.s are rare enough, usually no more then 3 are awarded in any given year."

"Wow, if that's true, then this has been a record setting year, not only did I get a triple OWL in DADA, but I know of at least 4 other people who were awarded double OWLs in DADA as well." confessed Harry.

"Really? Who?" asked Ron

"There were you and Hermione, but also Susan Bones and Neville. They both got doubles also."

"That's brilliant. Will you tutor me this year Harry so I can get a double to?" asked Ginny, now fully in over achieving OWL mode.

"Oh Ginny, that wont be necessary," started Hermione again "As long as you keep coming to the DA this year, you'll do fine."

"That is assuming we continue the DA this year." said Harry, causing the three friends and all the portraits to go quiet and look at him.

Godric was the first to break the silence, "Why wouldn't you Harry? Everyone learned so much, and from what you've told us it has helped more people then any defense teacher ever could. Even in my years as headmaster, there were never that many Outstandings in that subject. And before you asked, yes we used the same testing methods. There were other school s before Hogwarts, not as large mind you, but when we were created we adopted the already existing testing methods. I guess it's possible that they have made the testing more lax over the years, however, by your friends' description of the usual grades, and your Ginny's reactions to the impending threat of them, I would assume that they haven't." he finished with a smile.

"You have to Harry! Luna, Colin and I could really use the help. Not to mention everything you did for Lee Jordan. I heard him talking to the twins and saying even he got top marks in his N.E.W.T. tests, and he NEVER scored higher then an E before that year." said Ginny.

"I'll think about it. I just don't want to over load myself this year. I have a lot to think about now." Harry said glumly.

"That's true Harry, but where else could you practice with such a willing group of people to help you. We might not be at your level," explained Ron cheekily, "but what we don't have in experience we make up for in numbers. And you can use all the help you can get. Besides, I was thinking about possible ways of improving and maybe expanding the existing club that I wanted to talk to you about that later. The more people who can defend themselves when Voldemort finally attacks the school, the better. It's just a matter of time before that happens and anyone who says other wise is just fooling themselves." finished Ron.

The three other friends sat silently, surprised at Ron's apparently sudden maturity and insight.

"Your friend is correct Harry." said Joseph. "From what you've told us, the only person who he fears is Dumbledore. If he's going to convince more people to follow him, he will have to face Dumbledore to show that he does not fear him, but merely respects the power he wields. And what better time then while school is in so he might also get a chance to get rid of you. I knows you share a prophecy, he might not know the contents of said prophecy, but I'm sure he has a hunch, so he will want to get rid of you as soon as possible so that you don't amass enough power to actually become a threat." he reasoned.

"What I was thinking, Harry, was that you could continue teaching the core group from last year. The rest of us, possibly with your supervision, could then teach smaller groups ourselves, thereby maximizing the number of people able to defend themselves affectively when the need arises. Like I said before. We might not be fully trained wizards or witches, but we have the numbers to be effective in defending ourselves from invasion." concluded Ron.

Again, the other three stared at Ron like he had grown a second head.

"If you don't like the idea, just say so. There's no reason to look at me like that." Ron said defensively.

"No, no, Ron, I think you misunderstand." corrected Godric, seeing that the other three were still at a loss for words "Your ideas are sound and well thought out, a fact which I believe is at the root of the stunned expressions on their faces." he said with a small smile.

"Yeah, I mean, he's right Ron. You' just surprised us, that's all. That's a great idea, and if you guys are all willing to do it, then I'll call a meeting one of the first days back and run it past the rest of the group." said Harry. "I want to expand the core group too. But I have to do a little more thinking before I run it past you guys."

Now Hermione was smiling and still staring at Ron when he looked up at her and made eye contact. At this, she promptly reddened and looked away.

Ginny was chatting with John about something and Hermione and Harry started talking about some of the books he had recently read leaving Ron to chat with Godric about the school and, of course, quidditch. Godric was pleased to find out that the sport was still going strong, but even more pleased to hear about some of his heir's games.

Harry and the gang spent the better part of 3 hours chatting with the portraits and catching up with each other. Ron and Ginny had filled them in on all the personal training they had been doing, and offered to help Harry, whenever they came to visit during the month, with his fencing. Hermione told them all about her trip to the Americas and her new found fascination with healing and defensive magics. Harry informed, much to her delight, that he had seen a good number of books touching on both those subjects in his library. After their conversations, that's exactly where they went.

As promised, Harry taught them the speed reading and comprehension spells, and then spent the next 3 hours casting some of the permanent ones on them, and helping them adjust to the spells themselves. Ron was having a problem with comprehension. He'd read quickly but not be able to organize his thoughts and so forgot it all almost as quickly as he had initially read it. Ginny was the opposite; she was taking too much time organizing her thoughts, and so her reading speed was not increasing all that quickly. Hermione on the other hand, ate it all up and was reading 10 pages a minute by the time they broke for supper.

Stewy outdid himself and recreated the opening feast from Harry's first night in the mansion, with larger portions. Ron was in awe of the spread and promptly congratulated Harry on an excellent house elf, which brought on comments about the fact that Stewy was not property by both Hermione _and_ Harry.

The rest of the meal passed without incident and afterwards they left each other to their own devices. Ginny went to the Room of Requirement with her bathing suit and a towel. Hermione, believe it or not, made her way back to the library. Ron and Harry spent the rest of the daylight hours out in the park on their brooms.

The park magically simulated sunrises and sunsets out in the park and through the enchanted windows to simulate the time that it currently was in Potter Mansion. The edges, or walls, of the park were simulated country sides separated by a white picket fence to mark where the wall was so that no one ran into it.

"Ron, did you see that?" Harry asked him pointing down to the section of the fencing.

"See what?" he inquired.

"I thought I saw...I thought I saw a big black dog on the _other_ side of the fence. Did you see it?" he asked again.

"No mate, I didn't. It is an enchanted window after all, maybe the dog was just part of the scenery." offered Ron.

"Yeah, you're probably right." admitted Harry a little disheartened before continuing the game of pass with the quaffle.

That night, sleep came quickly to the four friends.

* * *

"It's already one o'clock Molly. Would you like me to go up to Sirius' room and see if the kids want to come down for something to eat?" offered Remus. 

"No." said a slightly worried Molly. "I promised them I wouldn't interrupt them until dinner time."

"If you'd like," started Remus "I could bring up a pitcher of pumpkin juice and some sandwiches and leave them outside the door. That way if they're hungry, it'll be handy."

"That's a good idea Remus. I know Ron's appetite. If he hasn't already come down for food, they must be really distracted for him not to have noticed." With that she crurried off towards the left over food and prepared a small platter for them. "I'll just knock on the door and let them know it's there."

"Why don't I bring it up for you Molly. After all, you _did_ promise Harry you wouldn't interrupt them and this way, you technically wont be." he offered.

"Again, good idea Remus. Thank you."

Remus grabbed the assorted treats and pitcher and made his way up the stairs to his old friend's room. Arriving, he quietly listened at the door. Convinced that there was no one inside using his heightened senses, he started to help himself to the sandwiches and juice. He had a feeling he knew where they were and if his suspicions were correct, they were eating a lot better then he was right now.

* * *

Harry, as per his usual routine, rose early and was out in the park running laps before 7am. To his surprise, when he got down there he found that Ron and Ginny were already there doing their morning exercises so he decided to join them. Using Ginny's practice rapier, they had gone over some basic sword fighting techniques, mostly defensive things like parries and blocks, and in turn, he had shown them some of the stretching exercises that he used to loosen up to do martial arts. 

They broke for breakfast at about nine and found Hermione already in the hall eating. Harry spoke to Horass briefly and then turned to address his friends.

"Ron? I was wondering. Do you guys have your family history written down somewhere? Does your dad or mom have any documentation of any kind about magical abilities that run in your family?" asked Harry.

"Not that I know of. Ginny? Do you know of anything like that?" She shook her head in the negative.

"Why do you ask?" inquired a curious Hermione.

"I've learned that every wizard or witch has at least one magical ability. I have also learned that most of these abilities are actually hereditary, and have a tendency to accumulate in the descendents of a specific line. Since Ron's family is so old on both sides, the likelihood of both he and Ginny having multiple gifts is fairly high. I was just wondering if they had a list we could work with so we would know what abilities to start looking for first." explained Harry.

"Young Harry is correct." said Horass. "That is the reason he has so many gifts, that and the fact that the fates have selected him for a specific task. That being said, I highly doubt that they would condemn you, his closest friends and council, to being without a number of your own. Especially the two of you since you come from such a rich magical background." he said gesturing towards Ron and Ginny.

"How come my parents have never told us about this? And why don't they have anything like Harry." Ron inquired of the portrait.

"There are many possible answers to that. The most likely reason is probably that they are as out of touch with specific family gifts as the rest of the wizarding community has become over these last 700 or so years. It used to be a matter prestige among pure blood families, a competition of sorts to rate worthiness. However, due to the number of non-pure blood wizards entering our world every year, this practice fell out of use." explained Horass.

Then turning his attention to Hermione, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. One of the main reasons that this affected the practice so much was that many of the most powerful wizards in history have been coming from halfblood families. There have even been some very powerful ones that have been of muggle descent. This countered their arguments that pure blooded wizards were superior so much so that they stopped comparing for fear of being outdone by a muggle born. The most notable muggle born wizard recently is Nicolas Flamel. He was born to two muggles and has become the leading alchemist of our...I mean, your age." he corrected with a smile.

"How do you know about Nicolas Flamel anyways? You died long before he was born." asked Hermione.

"From a number of sources actually. There was Harry's account of the Philosopher's Stone incident, Remus told me about him a little more when he was here visiting as we were discussing new potions laws that had come into effect since my death and finally, I had become so interested in the man and his accomplishments that I asked Stewy to display the self updating Alchemists' History Book in front of one of my portraits and asked him to come turn the page every few minutes for me." explained Horass.

"We'll take a look when we go back to the burrow in a couple of days and bring back whatever we find." Ginny said to Harry.

"Great. Nest time you guys are here, I plan on taking a few days to check each one of you for possible gifts and then set you up with whichever portrait will be of most help to you in developing it." explained Harry.

"Sounds good. You said Dumbledore knows about this place, right?" asked Ron.

Harry nodded in agreement.

"Do you think he'd be willing to help us get away from out mother for a week in August so that we could join you for some training?" he asked hopefully.

"Don't know, but next time I see him I'll ask. I plan on surprising him tomorrow at Hogwarts while I do my running around. I have to go visit Neville and Luna still and I thought I'd ask him where they lived." said Harry.

"How do you plan on getting there?" asked Ginny.

"You know you can't apparate into Hogwarts. The wards won't let you." explained Hermione.

"I'm fully aware of what Hogwarts: A History has to say on the matter Hermione." Harry responded cheekily, "and it wouldn't matter anyways since I don't know how to apparate."

"Then how?" asked Ron

"I'll Flash in." he said simply.

"You'll what?" inquired Ron.

"I'll Flash. Like this." and in a small red flame and puff of smoke he was gone, only to reappear behind them in a similar flash of flame and puff of smoke.

"That's BRILLIANT!" said Ron. "You can floo without a fireplace!"

"Don't be silly Ron. You can't floo without access to the floo network and the only way to do that is through a fire place." lectured Hermione in her teacher's voice.

"She's right, it's not floo. It's one of my Animagi abilities: Phoenix travel. I call it flashing, 'cause that's just what it looks like: an old fashion camera flash." explained Harry.

"Speaking of which, you still haven't shown us what said Animagi forms look like yet." said Hermione as she looked at him expectantly.

"Then I guess that means you'll be all the more surprised when I finally do." he responded with a smile a twinkle in his eye.

"By the way Harry." started Ron "I was wondering something. You're not planning on looking like that when we go back to school are you?" he asked gesturing at Harry's height and aged features.

"No, no. This is just the form I'll take in public when I don't want people who know who I am. At school, I was planning on going 'au naturel'" He explained with a smirk.

"What exactly _do_ you look like now anyways?" inquired Ginny. "It would look pretty bad if we didn't recognize you at the train station on Sept first."

"I'm sorry guys." Harry said, while chuckling at his own forgetfulness. "I didn't mean to keep this mask up around you. I was just so used to training in this shape to get comfortable with the way it moves that I forgot I had it on."

After saying this, he began to shrink in height finishing around 5'10", his facial features became noticeably younger and his hair returned to the shorter messed up version that they were all accustomed to.

The one thing that didn't change though was his build. His shoulders were much broader then his friends remembered them to be and even though the robe he was wearing hid the rest of his body from view, it was obvious he was a scrawny little runt anymore either.

"So that's _really_ you then?" asked Hermione hesitantly

"In the flesh." answered Harry

"It doesn't look like you. You look more...built then before." noticed Ginny barely blushing at all as she said it. Though she was doing just about as good as Hermione much to Ron's discomfort.

"One can hardly do one month of roof work, and three hours a day of physical weight and endurance training the next two months without a little bit of improvement. Besides, the robe is just making me look good. I'm still rather thin." he explained.

"Speaking of your robe," started Ron, recovering from his recent distraction, "did you notice that as you shrunk, it adjusted with you to match your height?"

Harry looked surprised, as did the other two. Yet again, Ron had noticed something they hadn't. This was becoming an all too familiar scenario over the last couple of days.

"I wonder what else it could do!"exclaimed a curious Hermione as she eyed the robe with a new found interest.

"I wish I knew!" admitted Harry. "Godric said that their was a book detailing this and other items that the founders had created. Unfortunately, it' nowhere to be found. I've searched the Mansion high and low, even asking Stewy's help, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I even went to the Room of Requirement and tried that, but to no avail."

"I wonder if it's at Hogwarts." offered Hermione.

"That's what I was thinking too." Harry replied "When each of the founders died, their private libraries were sorted into the school's, even Slytherin's. Most of the books ended up in the restricted section but in 1543, the current headmaster, being made aware of this, moved a great number of the ones pertaining to the school and even the founder's themselves to the Headmaster's private library. Only the headmaster and a select few other people know of its exact location."

A look of confusion crossed Hermione's face as if she was trying to remember something, but not being able to.

"Where did you hear that?" she finally asked giving up on whatever it was she was thinking about.

"Honestly! Am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" asked Harry mock crossly to Hermione (1)

"Probably" said Ron cheekily with a big grin "Why?"

Hermione turned a bright shade of red when she realized she'd just been beat at her own game which sent the rest of the room into laughter.

"Fine, fine. I guess I should have expected something like that from you eventually." she conceded in embarrassed defeat before joining in.

As the laughter died, Harry looked down at his watch.

"It's 10 am PT so that gives us about five hours before 6 pm OT (outside time) when we have to leave the mansion for dinner. What do you guys want to do 'til then?" he asked the group.

"I wouldn't mind talking to William about animagus transformations. Ginny and I have been doing some of the exercises, but I'd like to make sure I have the right technique down before continuing with that." said Ron.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind joining you." said Hermione, "It's only a matter of time until one of you brew me a potion and I can find out for myself if I can transform so I'd like to be ready when that time comes." she explained quickly.

Ginny turned to Harry and said, "If you'd like, I could continue going over some sword techniques with you. At least for a little while. I'd like to get another swim in before I leave. It's so nice to go for a dip I a heated pool instead of the pond by the burrow every now and then."

"I have a pool?" asked Harry in disbelief.

"Of course you do. It's call the Room of Requirement." she explained with a grin.

"Right. I never thought of that." confessed Harry. "That sounds good to me. If you want I can get a practice blade of my own. I'm sure there's one in the Mansion here somewhere."

"Ok. To the Room of Requirement then?" she asked.

Turning to Ron and Hermione he asked "You two gonna be alright?" They both nodded in agreement. "If you find you do need something, just call for Stewy, he'll be able to help." And with that he left them to their own devices.

* * *

The next five hours flew by. Ron was pleased to see that he had been on the right track, and spent the last 3 of the 5 hour wait with Hermione in the library reading, much to her surprise. Ginny and Harry had practiced for 3 hours, when they decided that they had done enough for one day. Ginny proceeded to go swimming, while Harry, fighting the urge to get back at her for seeing him in front of the mirror and see _her_ in her bathing suit, excused himself and went to do a little work in the potions room with Stewy's help. 

Harry walked into the entrance hall a half an hour before departure time to find Ginny already there going through the motions with the rapier and dirk she had been working with before.

"Should I be worried that I'll be missing two blades when you leave?" he asked before she had noticed him there.

"Oh. Sorry Harry. I didn't mean...I mean...I'm not going to take them. They're just so...perfect. I've never handled anything like them. Not that I've handled many swords mind you." she stammered out hastily.

Harry smiled "It's no problem Gin. I was only joking."

She smiled back and returned them to their mountings.

"The other two should be arriving shortly." she said as the turned back to face him.

As if on cue, two, rather loud and annoyed voices could be heard approaching the entrance hall from the direction of the library.

"I don't know what he big deal is anyways. I said I was sorry. What more do you want?" Ron's exasperated and slightly annoyed voice could be heard clearly.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." replied a curt and also quite annoyed Hermione as they both entered the hall.

"What's going on?" asked Harry.

"That's what I'd like to know." muttered Ron under his breath, unfortunately loud enough to be heard by Hermione who turned abruptly to give him the look of death.

Turning back to Harry, "Nothing" she replied. "Isn't it about time we were going?" she asked as she made her way to the front door followed but an ever apologetic Ron.

Harry and Ginny exchanged confused looks before heading towards the door behind the other two.

Entering Sirius' room, they found that it had been tidied up a little and on the bed was an empty platter, jug, four used glasses and a small note.

_Molly wanted to make sure you didn't go hungry while cleaning the room, so I volunteered to bring up the grub for her. I figure you're all in __Potter__Mansion__ and so took the liberty of helping myself to your lunch and making it look like you at least did something up here all day._

_When you come down for dinner, bring the tray and everything on it, thanking her for the egg salad and tuna fish sandwiches since they were delicious._

_See you at dinner,_

_Moony._

_P.S. please remove the note from said tray BEFORE you return it. That could be rather awkward._

Picking up the tray, they made their way down to eat.

Entering the kitchen, they were all greeted with a knowing smile from Remus and a big hug from Molly.

After hugging Ginny, she held her at arms length and asked, "Ginny dear, that's not what you were wearing this morning is it?"

Thinking quickly, and avoiding the worried looks on the others' faces, she responded in a rather irate tone. "No. It's NOT. Ron decided to sit down rather heavily on the bed beside the tray, causing my glass, which was still on it and freshly poured, to jump up and spill all over me. Hermione brought me to her room to change and lent me this." she explained, knowing that the clothes were from the mansion and her mother would know she was lying in a second if she claimed them to be hers.

"Well that was nice of her." Then, turning to her son, "How many times have I told you to look before you sit? I've gone through more sets of enchanted knitting needles because of your careless behind then I care to count." she chastised, causing the Hermione and Harry to chuckle to themselves. Whether it was because of Ginny's ability to get herself out of something and someone else into it, or because of the mental picture of Ron sitting on a knitting needle, Remus wasn't sure.

Arthur joined them shortly after that along with Charlie who had recently returned from the dragon reserves.

The conversation at dinner was mostly about the recent waves of attacks and the one in Diagon Alley particularly.

"It would appear that You-know-who is using these raids as training exercises or initiations. Only one of the ones you caught the other day was marked, two of which are fresh out of Hogwarts and the other hasn't even graduated yet. I doubt he'll be returning this year in any case." said Mr. Weasley before putting another fork full in his mouth.

"Really? That would explain why they were so easy to defeat. Not that I'm complaining mind you, but I just thought that a group of Death Munchers that large would be more of a problem." Harry said.

"Who were the three out of Hogwarts dad?" asked Ron.

"The two recent grads were Marcus Flint and Adrian Pucey."

"They were both on the quidditch team." noted Harry.

"And the one still in school?" asked Ginny

"I actually can't tell you that in case he does manage to plead stupidity, I mean Imperius, and is allowed to go back. Sorry. But I dare say that you'd have recognized him had you removed the hood Harry."

"Dad, why can't you tell us? Harry was the one to beat them after all. If he _had_ checked, we'd know. Not to mention we could keep an eye on him." offered Ron.

"You are to keep out of this young man!" warned a stern Mrs. Weasley, pointing the large wooden spoon that she had been using to serve the mashed potatoes at him.

"Mom, Honestly. I know you're intentions are good, but you have to realize that we're at the middle of this whether you like it or not. Look at Harry! He's been attacked every year by Voldemort or his death eater scum" he said as the two senior Weasley's cringed "and the only way we'll be able to stay out of this is to stop being Harry's friend, and I can tell you right now, none of us are going to be doing that anytime soon." he responded with a sternness of his own immediately deflating Mrs. Weasley.

She sat back down and replaced the spoon before adding, with tears starting to form in her eyes. "I know. You're right, but I worry so much." she confessed, "So much." sherepeated more quietly, before excusing herself from the table and leaving the kitchen, followed by Mr. Weasley who just nodded to his son in understanding.

"He wouldn't even tell me who it was." said Charlie to end the silence that had settled on them. "All he said was that it was a her, not a him."

"That narrows it down a little." offered Hermione optimistically.

"I'll ask Dumbledore when I see him tomorrow. Hopefully he'll let me know. It would be nice to know if one of my classmates was looking for revenge. Not that it would be any different then having classes with Malfoy, but at least I know who to look out for in that case." said Harry.

Shortly after that Molly returned and apologized to Ron and enveloped him in a large hug, which he returned.

After dinner, Harry found out that the Weasley's would be leaving the next morning to return to the Burrow and were sorry he could not join them as per Dumbledore's orders. He thanked them none the less for trying, but assured them that he was looking forward to staying with Remus offered to let them come and visit anytime they liked.

Hermione asked the Weasley's if she could stay at Grimmauld Place under Remus' supervision since she didn't want Harry to be all alone here. They reluctantly agreed to Harry's contentment and Ron's disappointment.

They retired to the sitting room of Grimmauld Place and talked some more about the happenings in the Wizarding world until bed time, when they all made their way up to their rooms for a restful night's sleep.

* * *

"Well, my young and eager follower. I am glad to see that you are anxious the begin your service to me." said the snake like man with red eyes to the masked and black robed figure before him. 

A low bow was the only reply.

"That is good. You see, I have a special assignment for you and that is why I have refrained from placing my mark permanently upon you. The Muggle Loving Fool will most likely be checking all his students with or without their knowledge this coming year and I need you to remain a secret from everyone.

"I have three specific surveillance targets for you and one target of opportunity that you are to…remove, before the end of the school year. You are to watch, take notes on regular habits and repeating activities that you find out of place on Harry Potter, Dumbledore and Professor Snape. I want to know when thy are in public, who's company they are keeping and who they are closest to. In other words, any weakness you see.

"As for the fourth target, well, I want them eliminated in a fashion that would not arouse any suspicion, or better yet, that would frame someone else." He said as his face split into a grotesque smile. "That person will be revealed to you at a later date. For now, you have your assignment so I suggest you start preparing for it." And almost as an after thought he added. "Oh, and I'm sure I don't have to remind you what the price of failure is. If you fail me, as your father before you, you shall receive far worse then this...'_CRUCIO'_."

* * *

(1) Chap 9, GoF. (But it's Hermione to Harry and Ron.)

**AN:** A big shout out to all my reviewers for the last two chapters, and here they are in no particular order: **Victor, HJP, Tanydwr, Sinayah, tish tosh, Katherine0619, JD22, Black-Hood, shadow phoenx, Jack-A-Roe, Iluvatar, GhostMagic 19, Fantasy King, Panther28, captuniv, gaul1, EnterTheLion, Taiyl, chaser1, TankerMDK, Korodin, athenakitty, Makotochi, harrypotterjr., Catryn SilverMoon, the evil chambermaid, katsuya102, Jaypallas, Magnus Thorson, Wind Whisperer, jeff, HeeroYuyZ, misticdragon, Lunawolf, Trevor the Enchanter, Oriens Bennu, athenakitty, GhostMagic19**,** chaser1, Tanydwr, Kordolin, Inappropriate Goat, captuniv, Gaul1, Iluvatar, Allie, Eternamente, TankerMDK, Lunawolf, Sara, HJP, FantasyKing, PantherMage, Goldilocks31890, Lupin123, Cochise112, pyro-briar, Sweet-Charmed-Angle.** If your name appears twice, it's cus you reviewed twice ;)

Please keep enjoying.

Farfumsane.


	16. The Dark Mark

**Disclaimer:** I am merely a boat adrift in the ocean that is the creativity of J.K.Rowling. I own nothing of this, I make nothing off this, and I get nothing from this but the satisfaction that through my imagination, others are being entertained.

**Chap 15: The Dark Mark**

Harry woke up the next morning absently rubbing his scar, to find Ron getting ready to do his morning exercises.

"What's up mate? Had a vision?" Inquired Ron as he motioned up to Harry's forehead with his finger.

"What? Oh, no. I haven't had any since before I moved into Potter Mansion and learned occlumency." Said Harry.

"Then why are you rubbing it?" Asked Ron skeptically.

"It still aches from time to time. I've been noticing it a bit more since I've been outside the mansion. When I'm in there, I don't feel anything at all. I think there's some sort of ward around the mansion that keeps out mental attacks, or mental links all together." He surmised since he didn't have any conversations with his mysterious female voice while he was in there either. "I'm guessing that he cast an unforgivable last night. Those always tended to continue to hurting long after my visions had ended." Explained Harry.

"So even though you didn't see anything, you're still feeling the pain? That's gotta suck."

"You're tellin' me." He said with a snort. "Why don't you go get Ginny and join me in Potter Mansion for your morning workout. That way we can do three hours of work in 45 minutes and still make it down in time for breakfast." Offered Harry.

"Sounds good." Agreed Ron.

"Meet me in the Room of Requirement when you've gotten her then."

After their workout, they each went to their rooms in Potter Mansion to shower and get ready for the day. Both Ron and Ginny thought ahead this time and brought some of their own clothes to change into.

Harry decided on a different robe for today's errands. It was black dragon scale robe with the Potter crest on the front left breast, over the heart. He then donned his belt and placed inside of it his wand and the three vials of healing potion that he had worked on the day before with Stewy. He decided against bringing his sword since he still didn't know how to use it very well.

During breakfast it was Harry, this time, who was asked questions about his clothing. Mrs. Weasley wondered when he had got such an amazing dragon skin battle robe and with his family's crest on it too. Harry replied saying he had acquired it with some of the things that Sirius had left him in his will, which ended that line of questioning rather quickly.

* * *

In the living Room of Grimmauld Place, Mrs. Weasley approached Hermione and asked, "Hermione, are you sure you want to stay here? You know you're more then welcome to come back with us to the Burrow." Offered Molly for what seemed to be the dozenth time that morning.

"Thank you anyways Mrs. Weasley, but as I told you this morning, I have way too much school work to do and as much as I love the Burrow it's just not a homework friendly environment. Besides, Harry will be here by himself most of the day and this way we can do our school work together." She explained, again.

Realizing she wasn't going to get Hermione to change her mind, she turned to Harry "Harry, why aren't you going back to that safe place Dumbledore found for you?"

Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 'Found for me?' but realizing that Dumbledore had to tell the Order something without getting them too worried, he reassured her, "Mrs. Weasley, the safe place is very easy to get to if one knows were to look, and I will probably be spending some of August there as well, but Grimmauld Place is still one of the safest places in England for me since it's unplottable and under the Fidelius charm."

Acknowledging defeat, Mrs. Weasley nodded to Harry and continued with her goodbyes,

"Alright then dears. We'll be over to visit in a week. Until then, the floo will be cut off here for security reasons. If you need anything, just send Remus over and he can tell us what it is." She said before pulling both of them into one of her usual bone crushing hugs.

"Yes Mrs. Weasley" Chorus Harry and Hermione in unison.

As the four friends said their goodbyes, Harry noticed that Ron was rather unhappy. He guessed that it was because Hermione had decided to stay instead of gong back to the Burrow with him, so he decided to try and alleviate his friends concerns.

"Don't worry Ron. You'll be back in a week, and hopefully even be able to stay for a while after that too."

"I know." He replied in a sullen mood casting a quick glance over at Hermione which he thought had gone unnoticed.

"You know she's like a sister to me, right?" Assured Harry.

Ron looked back at Harry slowly and silently nodded before muttering, "I just hope she feels the same way about you." Just loud enough for Harry to hear.

Harry gave him a quick pat on the back and assured him not to worry.

After a brief goodbye from Ginny, who was anxious to get going since she was going to visit Dean later that day, the Weasleys were gone leaving Harry, Hermione and Remus to their own devices.

Harry then told Remus and Hermione his plans for the day and that he'd try to be back for dinner. Remus told him to be careful and not take any unnecessary risks. Hermione agreed with Remus and told him to be careful before asking for permission to work in Potter Mansion while he was gone so she could get as much done as possible before his return. He smiled at the concern of both his friends. He agreed to let Hermione use Potter Mansion in his absence, told her he'd see her in a couple of days her time, and was off.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was just in the middle of reading today's copy of the Daily Prophet when he heard a knock at his office door.

Looking up from his paper to the door and then checking something on his desk, he quickly hid his look of confusion and greeted the visitor with a smile.

"Please, Come in Harry."

The door opened slowly to reveal a Harry Potter that looked much more like the 15 year old boy he was and not the 20 year old who decimated 12 would be Death Eaters in Diagon Alley only a couple of days earlier.

"How did you know it was me?" Asked Harry curiously.

"Ah, that is one of the tricks of the trade Harry." Replied the Headmaster with a smile and twinkle in his eye as he placed his Daily Prophet to cover the open area on top of his desk.

Harry approached and took a seat in the chair across from the Headmaster which he had been offered.

Fawkes, seeing who had just entered, began to sing happily. He promptly flew over to Harry and landed on his knee cocking his head sideways as if in anticipation of a reply.

"It's good to see you again too my friend. Yes, it was a success, thanks to you." Harry said to the bird while stroking he phoenix' head lightly.

Albus Dumbledore is not someone who is easily surprised, but try as he might to understand what was happening, this was the second incident, in as many minutes, to leave him flabbergasted.

"I will not say that I am not pleased to see you Harry, but I must ask how you got here. And were you just talking to Fawkes? Can you understand him?" Asked the now openly confused Headmaster.

"Actually, sir, all three of your questions are related and I believe that now is as good a time as any to explain." Said Harry before shifting in his seat to find a more comfortable position and accepting one of the lemon drops that professor Dumbledore was now offering him.

"I wasn't being completely honest with you when I asked to borrow Fawkes." He said, still stroking the birds colourful plumage, "I did wish to study and spend time observing him, but it was for a reason other then just a lesson assignment." At Harry's bidding, Fawkes flew up off his leg and returned to his perch. "I needed to study him for this:" and in the blink of an eye, Harry was replaced by a beautiful deep red phoenix with golden feathers lining the outskirts of his wings and tips of the feathers on his tail, a faint gold outline of a lightning bolt on it's forehead and emerald green eyes. He flew into the air around the office singing a beautiful song. Taking a second to listen to Harry's song, Fawkes joined him in gorgeous harmony.

Albus smiled deeply and he closed his eyes to take in the full beauty of a phoenix duet. It was a rare gift indeed to have the honour of hearing one as the phoenix are solitary creatures and it is rare to even find two together in the same area. As the music faded, Albus slowly opened his eyes which danced with a twinkle of joy and peace as he applauded the two choristers.

"That was simple marvelous my friends. Thank you." He said in gratitude.

Harry landed beside his seat and assumed his human form and smiled, "You are most welcome. That is also how I transported myself here." At that he flashed from in front of the desk to the entrance door, to beside Albus, then returned next to his seat. "I've leaned how to phoenix travel while in my human form, and I can understand them in it as well, but with my human voice box I can't recreate the sounds they produce." Explained Harry.

"That's amazing Harry. There hasn't been a magical Animagi in over 100 years, at least not one who's registered." He said with a wink. "I take it you haven't told many people about this?"

"No. So far only Remus and Tonks have seen them, and Ron Hermione and Ginny have only heard about them. I'm going to wait to surprise them. I thought it would be more useful to me if I kept as many of my abilities a secret far as long as I could." Explained Harry.

"That is a good idea. But Harry, you said 'them'. Are you telling me you have two forms?" Inquired the now even more intrigued Headmaster.

"No sir. I don't have two forms. I have three." He said, much to the shock of his professor. "I have only mastered two of them though and that's another one of my reasons for visiting today. I need to arrange a time when I can come and spend a few days in the lake."

The Headmaster, again, looked puzzled at this statement.

"I need to spend some time with a hippocampus to help me with that form." Explained Harry.

"Two of your forms are magical? That's incredible!" Stated the Headmaster in awe.

"Actually, no. All three of them are." He said right before he transformed into his kneazle shape and up and over to the Headmaster's lap who was now openly laughing and petting his fur, before returning to his seat and transforming back.

"That's utterly remarkable, Harry. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone, registered or not, who's had three magical forms. Now you're set for any type of terrain. These will be most useful to you indeed."

He then continued, "As for spending time in the lake, I can arrange a meeting with you and the king of the merpeople at your earliest convenience. I know he has some fine hippocampi that pull his chariot and I'm sure he'd be more then happy to let you stay with them for a spell. He was most impressed by the compassion you showed total strangers during the second task and has asked about you on more then one occasion."

"Thank you Albus. I'll tentatively say the fifteenth of this month. I'd like to get it done before returning to school and that seems like the most feasible time. I'll get back to you as to a definite time for that when I am positive. The second reason I've come today is that I need directions to Neville's and Luna's houses. Since they stuck by me at the ministry this past spring, I feel they deserve an explanation of at least some of what's going on right now. I have decided to share the prophecy with them and see if they are willing to continue to assist me."

"That is, of course, your decision to make Harry. Just remember that the knowledge of the prophecy is something that is still being sought after by Tom."

"True, but I think that I would be putting them in even more jeopardy if I let them remain my friends without allowing them to know what we are truly up against." Countered Harry. "Plus my closest friends and council will need to know the full facts if they are to help me fully."

"That is a very wise decision Harry." Said the aged professor sadly, "It only pains me that you have been forced into such maturity at such a young age. In trying to shield you from this, I have only forced it upon you sooner. For that I will be forever sorry."

"There is no need to dwell on what is done and can not be changed, Albus. All we can do is try to learn from our past, to better accomplish our present resulting in a more peaceful future." Said Harry, smiling slightly.

"You have learned much in a short time." He said with evident pride.

"I have had some very good teacher." Replied Harry giving his friend a slight bow.

"As for the location of your friends, I shall give that to you as you are about to leave since I will have to find Miss Lovegood's address in the school records."

"Thank you. Another topic I wished to discuss was that of the D.A. I was hoping to continue it this year, even though it will hopefully not be necessary, and turn it into a much larger club. Using a peer tutor method that Ron has come up with, I feel we could successful multiply the number of students by 15 or 20. With me continuing to train my original core of students, they could, in turn, lead small groups of their own. That would not cover all the students, granted, but it should be enough to at least help the younger ones who don't learn defensive or offensive spell casting in their first year of DADA." Harry explained.

"I see that you have thought about this quite a bit. I have also been thinking about this and the inevitable attack of Hogwarts." The Headmaster paused when he saw the surprised look on Harry's face. "This is what it's all about, isn't it? It's only a matter of time before Tom tries to take the school at which he started his descent down the dark path. As such, I have decided to reintroduce the dueling club, which Professor Lockhart had attempted a few years ago, under the supervision of Professors Flitwick and Snape. The new defense professor will also be assisting."

"Who is the new defense professor?" Asked Harry.

"You'll just have to wait until the feast to find out like all the other students. Now, to get back to your question about the DA, I would like to ask you to discontinue it and put your full support in the dueling club. If the other students see you involved in it, they will be more likely to attend themselves and this way we can reach even more students then what you had anticipated. I know that you do not like this fact, but you are one of the biggest role models in the school and many of the other students, especially the younger ones, look up to you."

"I'm starting to realize that." He muttered under his breathe, "I understand, and of course I will give it my support."

"Thank you Harry. Is there anything else on your agenda for today?"

"I would like to know when you have scheduled my O.W.L. exams for Arithmacy, Ancient Runes and Muggle studies."

"I have arranged that all three of them will be taken on the fourteenth. That would be the day before the twins' grand opening. You will have a short half an hour break between each exam, just enough time to have a quick snack." He added with a small smile.

"Thank you Albus. I was also wondering if you would be able to tell me the name of the student who I captured in the Death Eater attack in Diagon Alley and what the out come of the trial was."

Professor Dumbledore paused for a moment in thought and looked at Harry, "If it were anyone else asking I would deny them the information, however since it was you who caught her in the first place, I will tell you. It was Miss Sally-Anne Perks of Slytherin house, in your year. She's a rather quiet girl and it came as a surprise to me when I found out it was her. Her trial is tomorrow and I shall know nothing more until then. Now I must ask you a question: What do you plan on doing now that you have this information?"

Harry also paused for a moment and formulated his response before answering. "First, I'll mentally add her to the list of possible Death Eater students I already have in my head, though I must agree with you, it does surprise me that it was her. She always seemed to seclude herself from the other Slytherins. Second, I plan on keeping an eye on her, as I had planned to do with the other students I have on that list. I'm not a vigilante," then thinking back to his work in Diagon Alley, "Ok, maybe I am a vigilante, but I don't plan on bringing down Harry Potter justice on everyone who I believe deserves it. I defend myself and those around me when it is needed and that is all. And I will not leave my back exposed to anyone who I think has questionable loyalties."

Albus smiled and nodded "I thank you for your honesty. I believe you will do what is best not only for yourself, but for all the students here, including Miss Perks, should she be found to have been under the control of another."

Harry nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything else before I get you Mr. Longbottom's and Miss Lovegood's addresses?" Asked the Headmaster.

"There is one last thing, sir. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to ask Mrs. Weasley for her permission to let Ron and Ginny come to Potter Mansion for a week. It would be nice to do some training and spend some time together there without her knowing about Potter Mansion." Harry asked hesitantly.

"Ah, I see. So you would like me to assure her that her two youngest children would be safe in your care with Remus and Nymphadora chaperoning?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…Remus will definitely say yes, but I think Tonks might be going back to work soon."

"I think something can be arranged with her. At least I hope something can or I'm afraid Molly will not be at all pleased with the arrangement otherwise." Noted the Headmaster.

"Ok. I'll ask them both and get back to you."

"That won't be necessary Harry. I will be seeing Nymphadora this afternoon and shall ask her then. Did you have a specific seven days in mind for this?"

"I was thinking about the sixth to the thirteenth. That way Mrs. Weasley can come over to Grimmauld Place that night and we can all go over to the grand opening in Diagon alley together the next day."

"An excellent idea. I will speak with Molly this evening after I have a chance to see Miss Tonks." Assured the Headmaster.

"Thank you Albus." Said Harry as he stood and reached out to shake his hand. He turned to leave then stopped and turned back towards Albus, "O, Albus, I nearly forgot. Godric was telling me of a book detailing many of the magic items that he and the other founders created. He told me to search the Mansion, which I did, but to no avail. I was wondering if you knew whether or not it was here in Hogwarts, perhaps from when his libraries were transferred here after his death."

Albus smiled as he bent down and reached into one of the drawers of his desk. He then produced a brown leather bound book with the four symbols of the founders on the cover.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask me about this. Now that you own two of the items in the book, I figured it was only a matter of time." Mused Albus.

Harry had almost forgotten about the sword. This only peaked his curiosity as to the book's exact contents.

Thanking the Headmaster for all his help that afternoon, Harry left for his first stop at the Longbottoms.

* * *

Harry flashed just down the street of the Longbottoms' house and approached on foot. He reached the door, knocked and waited politely.

The door opened to reveal an elderly woman wearing a long green dress, a fox-fur scarf and a tall hat with a stuffed vulture on top. He remembered seeing that hat before on the boggart of Professor Snape causing him to smile slightly at the memory. Suppressing the laugh that was trying to come out, he addressed the stern looking woman before him.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Longbottom. My name is Harry Potter and I'm a friend of Neville's from Hogwarts. I'm not sure if you remember me, but we met at St Mungo's last year. I was wondering if he was in so that I could have a word with him." said Harry with all the politeness he could muster. He remembered hearing stories of Neville's grandmother, mostly from Neville himself, at how she could be very formidable and hard to get along with.

All of a sudden, the woman's initial grimace vanished and was replaced by a large smile. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry I didn't recognise you. Come in, come in please." She said excitedly though a thick Scottish accent as she motioned him inwards opening the door widely.

For some reason, soon to be made clear, the place seemed oddly familiar to Harry, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why.

"Iremember you back whenyou were a wee lad. You were always such a happy baby. Your parents used to bring you by all the time to play with Neville. I'm so happy to see that you two are still friends." She said cheerfully.

Before Harry could ask any of the many questions now swimming around in his head she motioned him to sit and continued talking.

"Just sit right here and I'll go get Neville for you." And with that she exited the room in search of her grandson.

'She knew my parent's? I used to come here? Neville and I played together often? Why hasn't he ever told me this?"

_Think about it Harry. Of course he wouldn't tell you. You were popular, good at a lot of things, and on top of it all, you're famous. Do you really think Neville had the self confidence to come up to you anytime in the last five years and say: "Hey Harry, did you know we were good friends when we were younger? Wanna pick up where we left off?" Do you really think he would even think about setting himself up for that kind of rejection?_

'I guess you're right. You do know that this brings me that much closer to finding out who you are, right? Only a student or a teacher at Hogwarts could know all that stuff. So you're...Professor McGonagall?' Guessed Harry.

_I'll give you this one and say no. But in the future, I'm not gonna tell you if you're right or if your wrong._

'Goodie. I love a challenge.' Thought Harry sarcastically.

_I know._

"Hey Harry." Said Neville as he hesitantly entered the room. "Wha...what are you doing here?"

"I came to visit a friend. I didn't think I needed a reason for that." Said Harry with a smile and a small twinkle in his eye. Harry resisted the urge to take a look in Neville's mind to find the answers to his questions. After all, it wouldn't be too difficult for him, but he knew that it was extremely impolite, not to mention illegal in the wizarding world, to root through someone else's head without their permission. Sensing surface emotions was acceptable however, and from Neville he could feel a mixture of happiness and confusion at Harry's presence.

"Of course not. I just didn't expect to see you here, that's all." Then taking a seat across from Harry he continued, "How have you been? How has your summer been going?"

"Good. I'm finally staying somewhere I feel welcome and safe, other then Hogwarts, but it's in a secret location so it's hard to invite a large group of friends over to hang out. I'll arrange for you to come by later this month and show you around. You'll love it." Answered Harry.

"But I thought you just said it was a secret." Said Neville with the confusion in his expression deepening.

"Yes it is, but I'm not going to keep secrets from my friends, and you most certainly are one of my friends, aren't you?" He assured him with a smile.

"Of...of course." Said Neville with a smile, "Thank you."

"I must confess. I wasn't totally honest about why I came by. I _was_ telling the truth that I came to visit a friend, and it is _because_ you are my friend that I'm here. I have something to tell you," Looking around the rather open room, "in private. I've already had a chance to tell Hermione, Ron and Ginny, so I planned this trip to you and then I'm going over to Luna's as well. Is there somewhere we could talk without be being over heard?"

Neville looked both proud and shy, if you can imagine that combination, at Harry's inclusion of him as a close friend. He got up and lead Harry to the study. Once inside he turned and locked the door behind them.

"This used to be my father's study. It has all sorts of concealment and anti-eavesdropping charms surrounding it." explained Neville.

"This is perfect Nev. Good thinking."

Harry proceeded to tell Neville about the prophecy, the fact that it might have been meant for him and even wished him a quick belated happy birthday. He quickly dismissed Neville's fears by reminding him that it was he, Harry, who had been marked with the lightning bolt.

Neville responded much the same as his other three friends had, telling Harry that he would stand by him whatever end may come. So Harry proceeded to tell him everything else: his training, Potter Mansion, the portraits, everything.

He then invited Neville to join them next week at Potter Mansion, but Neville had to decline since he and his grandmother were going to be spending the next two weeks visiting family in the Bermuda Triangle.

They continued to talk for another hour or so about various topics: Playing together as babies, their parents, graduating in two years, Neville's new wand(redwood and griffon's remige feather), their O.W.L.s (at which time Neville thanked Harry again for his help.), the N.E.W.T.s to come, and a variety of other topics.

* * *

It was about three in the afternoon when Harry finally decided to leave and head for Luna's. Saying his goodbyes to both Neville and Gran, he started to walk down the road to Luna's place.

After walking not even 25 steps, the Dark Mark appeared in the sky ahead of him.

Harry tore down the street in a run as fear of which house the mark was hovering over filled him and as he rounded the block he caught a glimpse of the house number and his fears were confirmed.

The door of the house was completely blown off it's hinges and he entered numbly. Stepping through the doorway and looking into across the living room, he saw a Death Eater standing over Luna's fallen body.

Noticing Harry, the masked Death Eater pointed his wand at him. "What are you going to do now little boy? You don't even have a wand!" He laughed evilly. It was obvious the Death Eater didn't know who Harry was, because if he had, he would have stunned him on the spot and brought him back to his lord.

Harry looked up at his taunter, then slowly down again at the limp body of his friend. Turning his right hand over, he looked at his palm blankly. Then, he slowly raised it and aimed it at the Death Eater and stared right into his eyes.

"Oh No! Please! Don't slap me!" With this comment, his maniacal laughter increased. He was laughing so hard, actually, that he didn't hear the young man across the room mutter '_igniculus haurio_'

All of a sudden, a six inch in diameter ball of flame appeared in front of Harry and at his bidding, began to bear down, rather quickly, on the hooded figure before him.

The doomed man tried in vain to stop it. He threw spell after spell at the fire ball now barreling down on him, but to no avail. The fire seemed only to absorb every spell cast at it while at the same time increasing in speed and size.

At the time of impact, the fire ball had grown to a size of two feet and it sent the Death Eater back five feet into the wall causing him to burst into flame instantly. The flame, whose heat had been intense enough to ignite his wand it even touched it, seemed to only affect the target, leaving no signs of it's presence save a small scorch mark on the wall where he had hit it and a small pile of ash at it's base which was all that was left of it's victim.

When Harry saw that the spell had run it's course, he stopped concentrating on it and almost collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. With all his remaining strength, he dragged himself over to his fallen comrade. He checked for any signs of life, but found none.

He noticed, in the next room, that there was a Death Eater lying unmoving on the floor. Looking down again at Luna's body, he noticed the wand in her hand, and how she had struck as she was facing the fallen person in the kitchen since the impact point of the spell that brought her down was in the middle of her back. She had obviously gone down fighting, but unfortunately the Death Eaters never fight fair.

This was Harry's last thought to pass through Harry's mind before complete exhaustion over took him and he lost his battle with consciousness.

* * *

igniculus - Latin: flame, spark.  
haurio - Latin: to draw up , draw out or in; to drink up, absorb

**AN:** Just to let you all know, I have asked a couple of people to proof read my new chapters for me and I'm waiting to hear back from them. This means that next chapter will, hopefully, be much more error free then any of my other ones ;)

A big thanks to my reviewers: **tish** **tosh****, PantherGuide, HJP, Fariytale-princess-504**(if you really wanna know, e-mail me and I'll tell ya), **Goldilocks31890, syd, Phoenix Friend, Panther28**(you'll see), **Tanydwr****, GhostMagic19, lluvatar, Lady Phoenix Slytherin, FantasyKing, TankerMDK, Mentally Impaired, Wind Whisperer**(sorry bout that), **Katherine0619, gaul1, chaser1, I'm not the weakest link, Lunawolf, Sweet-Charmed-Angle, pyro-briar, Chochise112, Lupin123**(yeah, it's a little different, but something I do all the time ;) ), **PantherMage**and anyone else who I might have missed here.

Farfumsane.


	17. Rude Awakening

**Disclaimer**: The characters and the world are not of my own invention, but the plot line is something I doubt JK would ever go for herself. ;) I get nothing from this but the ability to pollute the minds of my readers with the warped ideas of my imagination.

**Chap 16: Rude Awakening**

Harry awoke to a most familiar, yet unwelcome smell. Opening his eyes and looking around confirmed what he had dreaded.

Hogwarts' infirmary.

'How'd I get here?' he wondered to himself.

_It's about time you woke up. You've been out for quite a while._ Replied the female voice that he had grown accustomed to hearing.

'How long?'

_Well, it's the fifth of August today, and I believe this happened to you on the second, if my sources were correct._

'3 DAYS!' he thought.

_You don't have to yell you know, I'm right here._ She replied in a most annoyed tone.

'Sorry. I'm not used to mental conversations. I'm still getting used to this.' he apologized.

_So what happened?_ She asked curiously.

'Didn't you're sources tell you?' heretorted sarcastically.

_As a matter of fact, no one knows what happened. Not even Dumbledore._

"Well then how did I get here?" he wondered aloud.

"Ah, Mister Potter, you're awake. You are become an all too familiar sight in this section of the school. And during the summer holidays to boot! If you keep this up, I'm going to petition the Headmaster to have a bed set aside for you permanently." greeted the relieved, yet strict voice of Madam Pomfrey as she made her way over to her only patient.

"How did I get here?" asked Harry.

"That is a most excellent question." came the headmaster's voice from the doorway "One we were hoping you'd be able to answer."

Madam Pomfrey continued her check up while the other two conversed.

"What do you mean, sir? Last thing I remember was...Luna's." His expression became somber at the memory of his friend's broken form sprawled out on the ground in her living room.

"What happened Harry?" asked Albus.

"When I got there, the front door was busted open so I went in. In the living room...on the floor, I ...I saw Luna lying there. I just sorta zoned out after that. I remember a Death Eater laughing at me and I cast a spell, one I had only just read a last week. I hadn't even had a chance to practice it yet, but I was driven. There's not much left of him now. Just a small pile of ash."

"What spell did you use?" inquire the Headmaster.

"It was called 'Hell's fire' in the book I read. Basically, what it does is absorbs the spells cast at it and return them upon the user ten fold. If he would have kwon what it was, and cast a healing spell at it instead of a bunch of offensive ones, he would have been feeling great, instead he wasn't." stated Harry with a tinge of irony in his voice.

"You killed him?" asked a disbelieving Madam Pomfrey.

"No. He killed himself. The spell only revisits upon you whatever you dish out. He got what he asked for. I'm not a killer, I just held up a mirror." Then turning to the headmaster, "The only problem was, I didn't know how much power it would take to maintain it. If I don't concentrate on it the whole time, it would fizzle out and extinguish. Shortly after the spell had run it's course, I was drained to the point of exhaustion. I had enough strength to drag myself over to Luna and check her vitals...but there were none." Upon speaking the last word, he hung his head in sadness and defeat.

"None of the deaths that day were your fault Harry." said the old man as he placed his hand upon Harry's shoulder.

"I know. It's just...I didn't..." Harry paused to try to organize his thoughts. "I knew he'd eventually go after my friends, but Luna and I hadn't spent that much time together, how did he know? I guess it's possible that Bellatrix told him about her from the ministry, but...it's just all happening so quickly."

"That was not the reason for their attack Harry. It wasn't because she was your friend." explained the Headmaster.

Harry looked up and made eye contact with the Headmaster with a puzzled look on his face.

"My spy told me that the attack was to be centered on Mr. Lovegood for his part in exposing Tom's return with your interview. Luna was not the primary target." he said in an almost apologetic tone. "Harry, that doesn't make it y..."

"My fault" cut in Harry. "I know. But I can't deny that if it weren't for me, they wouldn't be dead. It may not have been my fault directly, but you can't say I carry no blame whatsoever." he said dejectedly.

"And if it wasn't for you no one would know that Tom had returned and would be completely unprepared for the war that is about to commence." pointed out the Headmaster. "Unfortunately sometimes doing the right thing can be most unpopular with the wrong people."

After a short silence, Harry spoke again.

"Headmaster? How did I get here? If you didn't bring me, what happened?"

"I honestly don't know Harry. The wards sounded a warning at the front door and so I went to look. There, on the front stoop, is where I found you." he explained.

"Did you see anybody leaving? Any clues as to how I arrived?" Harry probed.

"None what so ever my friend. I'm as stumped as you are." he confessed.

Deciding to change the topic of conversation, Harry asked,

"How long will it be before I can leave?"

"You're not going ANYWHERE for the next 3 days young man!" Interrupted Madam Pomfrey before the headmaster could reply.

"What do I need? Bed rest? Supervision? If I'm not mistake, I depleted my internal magical reserves, was my link to the magical dimension damaged in anyway?" asked Harry.

Madam Pomfrey was taken aback at the technical level of the question.

"Not per say, but I do want to continue to observe you to make sure no lasting damage was done." replied Madam Pomfrey.

"Then all I need is bed rest and supervision? That I can get at my house." said Harry.

Before she could speak her objections he cut in again, "I'll come back infour days for a check up and you can give me the clean bill of health then."

"But you can't cast any spells for those days, at all." she emphasized.

Then turning to the Headmaster "Do the innate abilities related to my forms count as casting spells? Or does this restriction only limit me from manifesting magic outside my body?" asked Harry.

Knowing where this was going, he answered hesitantly. "For the most part it causes no strain to the user, but I warn you not to do it often lest it _does_ start to drain you. I would suggest no more then once or twice a day, at most."

"Thank you Headmaster, Madam Pomfrey, I shall see you in four days for my check up. Now if you will excuse me." Harry got up and started to put his clothes on that were folded beside his bed.

"And how do you plan on getting home young man? Flu travel is not suggested at this time, there is no way either of us are apparating you there, nor are we going to set up a portkey for you." she said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Madam Pomfrey, I will get home by my own means, you needn't worry about me." Bowing slightly in thanks he turned and walked out the infirmary door where he promptly flashed back to Sirus' bedroom in Grimmauld Place.

* * *

It was three days Potter Time before Harry unlocked the library door. He had closed himself off from everyone to try and sort out what had happened, what he was thinking and what he needed to do. 

He had read another good chunk of books including everything he could find that made reference, no matter how small, to any of his powers.

He also read the book that Dumbledore had given him about the creations of the founders. This had been the most interesting read of them all. Apart from finding out a plethora of information about the two relics already in his possession, he also learn that Godric was well know for having made four items of power: the robe, the sword, the ring and the staff of Gryffindor.

About the items in his possession, he had learned that the robe not only adjust it's size for the user, but also to his tastes. Meaning he could change it's appearance with a thought much like he could change his own. The sword too had a similar ability in that it could change shape to a style of sword that best fit the wielder.

The one thing he didn't find in all his readings was the thing he had been trying to find out:

How did he get from Luna's to Hogwarts?

None of his known powers could have done it, not even any of the other powers that he could find for that matter. He doubted that the Potter Battle Robe he had been wearing could have had something to do with it, but he couldn't be sure of that either.

He decided to do more studying on the topic of latent and triggered charms before totally ruling out that possibility.

Another question he had was: Why Hogwarts? He had initially thought that it was due to the two items of Gryffindor he possessed, but then remember he wasn't wearing either of them at the time.

The other option is that someone brought him there. But that theory is also flawed. Dumbledore said he felt a warning at the front door in the wards. What would trigger the wards? How many people would know? What are the odds that one of those few would have been passing by Luna's when I dropped? How did they get away so quickly from Hogwarts afterwards when you can't apparate off the grounds?

Too many unanswered questions.

Shaking his head, Harry got up and decided to go get some air. After three days cooped up in a library he was starting to feel way too much like Hermione.

After a brief walk/run/flight in the park, Harry returned to the library to find Hermione sitting in the chair across from the one he had been occupying.

Instead of assaulting him with her usual barrage of questions, however, she merely looked up briefly, nodded and returned to her reading.

Harry took up the next book in the pile he had made for himself to read and sat down across form his friend.

After opening his book he said "I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"That's ok." responded a seemingly uninterested Hermione as she turned the page and continued her reading.

Confused her by her uncharacteristic lack of curiosity, he sat and stared at her in disbelief.

"I've come to the realization that pushing you for information that you don't want to give doesn't do any of us any good. You get more upset, and we still have no clue what's going on. So I've decided to wait. Besides, I trust you. When you think you're ready you'll tell me."

Nodding in understanding, and thanks, Harry started reading. After only a few pages, it was Harry who again broke the silence.

"I just can't believe I was so stupid!"

"It wasn't your fault Harry. You couldn't have known they'd go after her. You can't blame yourself for that." countered Hermione with true concern in her voice and a similar expression on her face.

"Not that. Whether it's my fault or not is irrelevant. I know I'm a major target, and as a result, those around me have become one as well, I've come to accept that to a degree. No, I'm upset that I didn't stay object and instead let emotions get the better of me to the point of casting a spell in anger that rendered me unconscious!" he explained in a huff of annoyance.

"What spell was it?" inquired Hermione, effectively avoiding the main topic while at the same time showing enough interest to keep him talking.

"Hell's fire. At least that's what it was call in the book I found it in."

"I've never heard if that one." she responded, her interests peaked.

"That's not surprising." Realizing what he had just said, he quickly tried to recover "I mean that I doubt even Dumbledore had heard of it before I told him. It was in a rather obscure book of ancient wandless magic. You see, this particular spell can't be cast using a focus, like a wand, because it is the targets themselves who shape it as it's in flight towards them." he explained.

"Ok." said a slightly confused Hermione, making a mental note to look it up for herself afterwards. "It sounds like a useful spell, why did it fall out of use?" she inquired.

"My guess is that 1) you need to be a sorcerer to cast it and with the decline of testing for that kind of gift, as Horass explained, fewer and fewer people could cast it. 2) It probably wasn't too well known to begin with. The whole point of the spell is that it revisits whatever spells the target casts on it at an increased power. If people knew this spell and recognized it, all they'd have to do is throw healing and pepper up spells at it and be totally refreshed. And 3) The amount of power needed to sustain the ball of raw magic as it travels towards the intended target usually drains the caster to the point of exhaustion and so isn't very helpful in a mass battle setting. A duel however...well that's another story." he said with wicked smirk

Hermione looked worried, "I know that look." she said while pointing and accusatory finger at Harry. "What are you planning!"

"Let's just say that I'm really looking forward to the new class that Dumbledore is introducing this year." he answered cryptically.

* * *

"Well young Draco, it would appear that you are indeed more powerful then your father. I told him that a merger with the Black line would produce for him a powerful heir. It's a shame he isn't here to see just how powerful you could potentially become. He would be proud indeed." 

The panting and sweat drenched crumpled form of Draco Malfoy mustered up enough strength to lift his head and mutter "Thank you my Lord."

The testing that Draco had undergone had been rigorous to say the least, and quite painful at that. Lord Voldemort had thought it best to test for his full potential as quickly as possible so he used many more powerful spells then had been used on  
Harry. Some of these spells gave multiple readings in a fraction of the time but at great discomfort to the recipient.

Draco had grown up listening to his father boast about his many hereditary abilities. How he was an Animagus, a Charms Master, was a Magical Scholar, and also had mild abilities in both Necromancy and Telekinesis. But what he was most proud of was his ability to amplify the effects of some of the spells he cast. The ability of Spell Amplification was a very prestigious gift indeed, and it was just one of the gifts that He had passed down to his son.

Draco was thankful that his father had been so thorough in explaining his gifts and showing Draco how they worked, for now, it seemed, that he had inherited the majority of them himself not to mention a few others that his father didn't possess.

The Malfoy family placed a lot of value on stature and had continued the tradition of gift testing long after the other pureblood families had stopped.

The rest of his summer would be spent in intense training to prepare him for the first of September. He had less then a month to get ready to face the person who destroyed his family and ruined his life.

'Harry Potter will pay and it will be at my hands!'

"Very good boy. It would appear that your gift of telepathy has almost fully manifested itself. Remember this, however, Potter is mine! Humiliate him or torture him if you like, but his death SHALL be at my hand. Do you understand?"

"Yes my Lord. Thank you my Lord." stammered Draco as he bowed slightly.

"Just remember your mission for this coming year and you shall be rewarded accordingly." said the dark creature before turning and making his way to the stone throne centered against the back wall in the large dungeon.

Various medieval torture devices stained with blood of ages past, could still be found throughout this room. Draco's eyes wandered to the rack against a side wall, then the several sets of shackles lining the other, but he glared the longest at the iron maiden suspended in the corner with the skeleton of it's last victim still proudly displayed there in.

Once seated, Voldemort again addressed the young man kneeling on the floor in front of him.

"Now that you know what to study, I suggest you do some research in your family library. We start the practical lessons in five days. Be here. Now Go!"

The young man stood, bowed and exited the room.

"He will make a fine lieutenant. Wouldn't you agree, Wormtail?" he said off to his right, addressing the dark corner next to the rack.

Out of the corner scurried a rat, with a silver paw, who quickly took the shape of a man and responded "Y...yes m...my Lord."

"I want you to follow him for the next five days until he returns to me. I want a full report on all of his activities. Which books he read, where he spent his time, what kind of a schedule he keeps, everything!" Lazily looking around the room, his eyes made their way back to the sorry figure standing off to his side.

"GO!" he yelled as he pointed towards the door. "If you lose him, or fail me in this simplest of tasks, let me assure you that your usefulness to me will have reached an end!"

After that last outburst of anger, Wormtail quickly scurried out of the room in pursuit of young Malfoy.

"The board is filling up nicely." commented Lord Voldemort to himself, "Only a few more pieces yet to place and my set will be complete. It's a pity I had to lose Lucius before the game really begun, but his son will be more then enough to replace him if he comes into his powers fast enough. Let the game begin."

* * *

"Checkmate." said Ron after his knight moved into position. 

"Ouch! That's game number six in under half an hour." said Dean Thomas while rubbing the palm of his other hand as if it was in pain. "When did you say Ginny was getting back again?"

Dean had shown up to Ginny to find that She had just left to do a bit up shopping with her mother in Diagon Alley. They had been spending quite a bit of time together over the last few days, but this hadn't made his interaction with her brothers any easier.

"Don't know." said Ron shortly. Ron hadn't been very talkative since Dean had arrived that day. Mostly, he just sat and glared at his absent sister's guest.

Everyone knew how protective the Weasley boys were of their young sister, but Dean had hoped he might get off easy since he was Ron's friend.

Apparently not.

The two boys sat in silence. Ron stared at Dean as Dean looked around the room pretending not to notice.

At that moment the fireplace lit up as someone arrived.

"Thank God" muttered Dean under his breath.

But when the dust cleared it was not Ginny's figure that stood before them. It was that of a tall red headed man with a ponytail and a fang earring.

"Hey Ron. Oh, and who's this? I'm Bill Weasley, Ron's older brother." he said as he reached to shake hands with Dean.

"Hi, I'm Dean Thomas." replied Dean as they shook hands.

"Ginny's boyfriend." added Ron in a voice that betrayed his feelings on the subject.

Dean might have been mistaken, but he could have sworn that Bill's hand began strengthening it's grip at the hearing of this, but he had let go too soon to tell for sure.

"Is that so." said Charlie, no longer as cheery as he had been upon his arrival.

The silence that was quickly forming was interrupted by two loud "CRACKS" behind them.

"Hey little bro," said Fred to Ron.

"and big bro." said George to Charlie.

"What did ya call us for?" asked Fred.

"and why did we have to come over?" inquired George.

Ron motioned his head towards Bill who stepped aside to reveal a now frightened looking Dean.

"Ah" said Fred losing some of the joyous mirth.

"I see" finished George looking at the boy as predator at it's prey.

All Dean could do was swallow and begin to prepare himself mentally for what was about to come.

Bill, amused by Dean's discomfort, scanned the room. "Aren't we missing one?"

"Yep. He should be here any minute now." said a new voice from the other side of the room.

"Good to see you Charlie." said Fred.

"Have you met Ginny's boyfriend?" asked George as he pushed Dean towards him.

"No. No I haven't." he said, his features void of emotion as he critically eyed the young man before him.

"Did you bring yours?" asked Ron off handedly.

"No," replied Charlie "I'll just use one of the spare ones out in the shed."

The reference to this new nameless item started to scare Dean, so coming up with a new strategy he said, "May...maybe I should just go. I...I can come back later when Ginny's home." he stammered as he tried to back away slowly to the front door.

"Not a very eloquent speaker is he?" commented Bill as he opened the back door for the twins who were now forcefully escorting Dean towards the rest of the group.

"Why would we want you to leave?" asked Charlie.

"The whole reason we came was because you were here." commented Fred from his left.

"Now that would just be rude of you!" finished George from his right. Dean was now visibly sweating, as hespeculated at what they had in store for him.

"Besides, It's hard enough to play a game of quiddich with six people, five wouldn't be worth the effort." explained Bill.

"Qui...quiddich?" asked a bewildered Dean.

"Of course quiddich. What did you think we were going to do? Flog you?" asked Bill jokingly.

"Curse you purple?" inquired Fred.

"Transfigure you into a toad?" offered George.

"Use you as live bait to lure local dragons?" asked Charlie.

"Hang you upside down by your toe nails, poke small holes in your forehead and collect your blood as it slowly drained into a large bucket beneath you?" added Ron with an evil gleam in his eye.

The other four stopped and looked at Ron in disbelief while Dean, on the other hand, had turned white enough to match their mother's porcelain vases.

"What?" asked Ron innocently.

* * *

"Mom! I can't believe you dragged me to all those stores just to look at things. You knew that Dean was going to be coming over today and now I'm really late." complained Ginny as she appeared in the fireplace at the Burrow a couple of seconds after her mother. 

"Oh, did he say he was coming again today dear? I thought he said tomorrow." said her mother as she began putting away the few things she had purchased, trying to hide the grin now forming on her face.

"Where is he anyways? He should be here by now." asked Ginny as she quickly checked the lower level of the house.

"He's more then likely outside with the boys." said Mrs. Weasley non-chalantly as she continued unpacking her groceries.

Ginny's face fell in shock, but was quickly replaced with a look of concern. "What do you mean boyS!"

"Well, Charlie and Bill were coming over for supper and I had Ron firecall the twins to come and join us too. We took so long in town that the boys have probably all been here for a good hour or two."

"Oh no." mouthed Ginny in fear "Mother you didn't!"

"Didn't what, dear?" asked her mother feigning ingorance.

"DEAN!" cried Ginny as she ran out the back door towards the field leaving behind a grinning Molly.

She stopped dead in her tracks, however, when she saw her brothers approaching the house together laughing heartily with no Dean to be seen.

She went from zero to pissed inone second flat.

Seeing their enraged little sister standing before them, the five boys stopped laughing instantly and started to look a little guilty.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM!" screamed Ginny.

None of them dared to speak. Charlie, who regularly worked with much less dangerous creatures then his little sister, mustered up enough courage to point back behind them.

The crowd of brothers parted to reveal an exhausted and slightly bruised Dean.

"**WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM**!" she hollered, if possible, even louder then before.

"N...nothing." replied Fred with his hands raised in a defensive manner.

"We...we swear!" said George cringing and copying his brother's defensive position.

"We were playing quiddich and he was a keeper." explained Charlie hastily.

"He might have gotten hit a couple of times by the odd quaffle." confessed Bill.

"But most of the bruises took place when he fell off his broom while reaching for one of Fred's shots." explained Ron with a hint of glee in his voice but doing his best to hide it.

"Which wasn't my fault might I add." defended Fred.

Ginny's anger was seemed slightly abated.

"It's true Gin." said the battered figure weakly from the back of the crowd.

"Oh, my poor Dean." sighed Ginny in a motherly fashion as she pushed past her now forgotten brothers to help her injured boyfriend.

"It's ok Gin." said Dean as she slid in beside him for support. "I'm fine."

Now that Ginny's attention was elsewhere, the brothers took advantage of their luck to beat a hasty retreat...and find a good place to hide.

* * *

The knock at the front door of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry was answered promptly by the headmaster of the institution himself. The door opened to reveal...the headmaster? 

"Ah, Headmaster, it's good to see you again. I trust you had safe travels here?" asked the figure who opened the door.

"Yes Headmaster. No problems at all. Though I have a feeling it's because I looked nothing like myself." replied Hogwarts' newest Professor with a wry smile, not quite able to copy the eye twinkle of his current twin.

"I'm glad to see our plan was a success. You will be safe here until school starts, I assure you. If you will follow me, I'll show you to your quarters, and then I'll take you to your office and classroom. After that, I shall leave you to your own devices." said the actual Headmaster as he motioned to the new arrival to follow.

"Have you given any thought to which text book you wanted to you for your classes?" he asked as they made their way through the ancient halls. "I didn't tell the returning students to acquire any additional texts, but I did ask the first year students to purchase the usual one. I did make a note, however, that the professor might assign other books for the course upon their arrival and to be prepared to purchase them once here. I guess it's also possible that the teacher has already purchased the books for the students and will be asking for the students to reimburse him on the first day of classes, but I didn't make mention of that in the letter since the nature of the book in question might make the parents start to question my ability to hire a suitable Defense instructor."

The other man merely chuckled. "Albus, you never cease to amaze me. I'd ask how you were aware of my dealings, but I know better then to think I'd get a satisfying response."

"Quite right my old friend. It's good to see you haven't forgotten everything about me. Over the last couple of decades I was starting to wonder about that." he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Touché. It is true that not all of my choices have been good ones in the past, though from what I've heard, especially recently, is that not all of your choices have been great either. As you mentioned, your choices for Defense professors over these last few years have been an interesting comedy of errors, but the poor choice I've heard about most recently in regards to one prophecy child and your choice of guardians for him leaves me to wonder what you were thinking." he pointed out.

The headmaster stopped and turned to face his new faculty member who still wore his face. "There is no need for those kind of comments. I have apologized to those involved, and it is behind us. But yes, I do understand what you are saying. Sometimes the best intentions can lead us down the wrong road. Which is something we have both learned first hand." With this, he turned and continued his walk. "And sometimes all we can do is watch them unfold, hope it doesn't turn out as bad is it could and learn from them."

**

* * *

AN: **A quick **Luna** note. If there are those of you planning on dropping this fic because I have killed her, please don't. She's one of my favorite characters, but I had to do this to get her where I need her. Sorry. 

Many, many, many thanks to all of you who are reading this and sharing in my tinkerings. I'd especially like to thanks those of you who have gone out of your way to actually review this story: **Fairytale-princess504, Bloodless Ace, TheoGreece, Egyptian Flame, ReaderX99, Crose, JamesPotter13, the Roshyn**, **Nightwing509, Khadon**, **Melian Maia, Altariel4, Cochise112, snifflers unite**, **vire, FantasyKing**, **Treck, Hunta, Lord Ravenclaw, Tanydwr, jwhit-moony, Sophia, LordRuthven, ash, Silver Warrior, Moonshadow10, albert87, Goldilocks31890, stephanie, RJ, shamanogler**, **UltimateHPFreak, Eternamente, jellyfishsl, Maethron, Lady Excel Ilpalazo, HJP, Jetta887, Serry2, Lilrebelgirl, GhostMagic19, Branackus, meh, Stryker MGS, captuniv, tish tosh, nyyfan916, Black-Hood, YamiPaladinofChaos, Magnus Thorson, Kordolin, athenakitty,**** gaul1, Panther28, chaser1, skeeter007. **I never would have expected to have over 50 reviews for one chapter. Thank you all.


	18. Another Prophecy?

**Disclaimer: **I really do wish I could justify writing this by comforting myself in the knowledge that the time I am spending away from my studies was earning me money, no matter how ill gotten it may be, but alas, 'tis not the case.

**Chap 17: Another Prophecy?**

"Hey Gin, are you packed yet?" asked Ron as he noticed his sister, who was sitting on the couch by the fireplace.

"No. I'm not going with you. I'll be meeting up with you guys in a couple of days." she explained, before glancing at the clock.

"Why?" asked Ron.

"Well, since I can't spend anytime with Dean while you're around, I decided to hang out with him for a couple of days." she said with a smile.

"What do you mean? You _always_ spend time with him. He's over everyday!" he replied in disbelief and a bit of frustration.

"Yeah, he's over everyday, and you're there looking over our shoulder everyday too. This gives us a chance to actually be alone." Ginny said, with an edge in her voice just begging him to retort.

Realizing that any feeble excuse he tried to give would only get him in more trouble; he chose to change topics. "Two days then? That'll be six where we are you know. You might fall behind a bit."

"I'll keep up with my exercises here, plus some more reading from the books that Harry lent me." she assured him. "Besides, this'll give you three a chance to hang out for a while by yourselves. It'll be nice."

"Yeah, it will be nice." he thought aloud. He started reminiscing about the last 5 years at school and how they had always seemed to have fun in the midst of the danger which, more often then not, they didn't know was surrounding them.

At that moment the fireplace lit up, and out walked Dean.

Ginny gave Ron a hug and said, "I'll see you in two days. Tell them I say hello."

Then she grabbed Dean's hand and quickly dragged him out of the house before Ron had a chance to say anything else.

* * *

The days before Ron's arrival had all passed in a similar fashion. Harry woke up, went for a run, then did his weight and battle training with Remus before joining Hermione and Tonks for breakfast. 

After breakfast, Remus and Tonks would go and do their things, leaving Harry and Hermione to go over school related courses with some of the portraits. The portraits would help Hermione finish her homework while allowing Harry a chance to review the material, not that he really needed to.

The afternoons and evenings were pretty much spent in the library where Hermione and Harry sped though a large number of books. Occasionally they would indulge in small conversations, but usually they would just read in silence which was fine for both of them since Hermione could never tire of reading, and Harry was still in no real mood to talk about what had happened.

This day had started off like the others, the run, the food, the lessons, until Hermione came across something she deemed as important enough to break the silence for.

"Harry?" said Hermione looking up from her book in confusion and disbelief.

"Yeah?" he asked, closing his book and turning his attention to his friend.

"Umm...I think you should see this." Hermione said as she handed him a book and pointed at a specific place on the page.

"What is it?" he inquired as he reached for the book.

"It's a book on Founders' prophecies. Ever since you told us about your prophecy, I've been doing some research on prophecies, to see if there were ever wrong, or could be avoided, or something." she explained.

"Really? Did you find something then?" Harry asked, moving his eyes down the page to the section she was pointing at.

"Not exactly..." she responded hesitantly.

Harry read it aloud:

"The Child shall walk on air, land and sea.  
In him all four elements will be seen  
Sword and cloak and staff and ring  
His father's treasures together he'll bring

He will have aids, 3, 2 and 1,  
If the battle is to be won.  
Children of Zeus and those of fire,  
And fate's alternate will be required.  
With allies and friends an army will form,  
Together they'll face the serpent's throng,

If phoenix blood victorious be:  
1000 years of peace we'll see.  
Should heir of snake eventually reign:  
The light may never shine again.

"The ancient prophecies were a lot more lyrical the ones you hear nowadays." he finished with a slight chuckle. "But why do you think it's of any importance to me?"

"The book is a compilation of prophecies about the founders and their bloodlines. That's the last one in the book." explained Hermione.

"You can't be serious. You don't think this one's about me too do you?" asked Harry in disbelief.

"It might be. Just look at it: air, land and sea. What are your three Animagus forms? And you already have the robe and sword of Griffindor."

"True, but what about the rest? The elements? I don't have any elemental type powers. Not to mention the three, two and one thing, or the ring and the staff? What about all that?" asked Harry.

"Well…it didn't say when it would happen so you might find the other two items in the future. As for the three, two, one, it's talking about the people who'll side with you but the elements, well, I don't know how they fit into all this."

"I figured out that much as well, but I don't have 6 close allies. Children of fire, I would assume are the Weasleys, but if I'm not mistaken, it only said two children of fire leaving 4 other people. A grouping of 3 and a single other. You could be the single one, but who are the other three? And where does Neville fit into this…unless he's the 'fate's alternate' as in the prophecy could have been meant for him, but then that leaves you out. There are too many loose strings in it right now so I'm gonna assume it's not for me unless I find the other two items. Until then, this topic is closed. I have enough to worry about without possible eternal darkness hovering over my head if I fail." explained Harry with some conviction.

"If you say so, it's just that it might fit you more then you know. You see..." but Hermione was cut off by Stewy's sudden appearance.

"Harry, Stewy is here to be telling you that Ron Weasey is here and dinner is being ready." he announced

"Is it 7 already? Thank you Stewy. I'll be right down." Then turning to Hermione "Case closed. Until I have the ring and staff, this prophecy is not about me."

With that he rose and left the library to greet his guest leaving Hermione behind with the rest of her interrupted revelation.

* * *

"Let us get this meeting underway. First I would like to welcome some of our newest members: Amelia Bones, Lee Jordan, Oliver Wood and Alicia Spinnet." He paused for the light applause that followed. After it had died down, he continued, "Now, are there any unresolved orders of business that we need to address?" 

"I have a question," said Remus as all turned to give him their attention, "How did your meeting go last week?"

"We have been invited back to visit with them after the next full moon at which time they would like to meet you, and hear what you, as our primary ambassador to them, have to say about what is to come." explained the Headmaster. "I will get back to you about the exact location and date."

"Thank you." replied Remus.

"Anyone else?" asked Dumbledore. Looking around and noticing that no one else was about to speak, he continued. "If that is all, we shall proceed to any new orders of business. Does anyone have anything they would like to discuss with the rest of the Order?"

Kingsley cleared his throat, and spoke "I have a topic I think should be addressed. What should we do about young Harry? I was first on the scene at Diagon Alley and I must say, though the Death Eaters there were young and inexperienced, there is no way that any of my Aurors could have taken on that many and triumphed."

"I agree." piped in Mrs. Weasley. Nodding to affirm her agreement she continued, "We should do something to restrict his movements. He should not be allowed to get himself into such dangerous situations unaccompanied."

"I think you misunderstand me Molly." continued Kingsley, "What I was wondering was when we were going to formally invite him into the Order so that he could start using his many gifts in an official capacity."

"What? Are you serious? He's just a boy. He shouldn't be included until he is of age at the earliest. I personally think he should stay out of it all together until he can receive official training." she ranted.

"He has had official training Molly." offered Tonks. "Remus and I have been training with him for…some time now. He can consistently, easily, 95 of the time, beat both Remus and I in a full duel. I am a fully trained Auror and Remus has the heighten senses and enhanced speed from his werewolf blood. This kind of success rate is unheard of in any of the Aurors out there at the moment, myself and Kingsley included. No one here could best him in a duel, except possibly the Headmaster, but I doubt anyone else would be able to beat him."

Snape raised a curious eyebrow at the statement where as Moody merely snorted at the implication.

"How long is "some time now" anyways? He's only been away from the Dursleys' for just over 3 weeks. I find it hard to believe that anyone could reach that level in less then a month." Hestia Jones inquired, receiving nods and muttered agreement from Amelia Bones, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Emmeline Vance.

"Young mister Potter has been training now for approximately 3 months. I will not say when he started, but his training and accomplishments can be condensed into that amount of time." explained the Headmaster, putting an end to that line of questioning.

Then he continued "In the past, the Order has invited someone who was underage to join in an official capacity if he was well advanced beyond his years in ability or if there was a specific task that he alone could accomplish due to some advantage he possessed. I believe that both of these criteria are fulfilled in Mister Potter, and so I feel we should put it to a vote." Turning to Kingsley he continued, "Do you let your name stand as the one who elected Harry Potter for an invitation to the Order?"

"I do" answered Kingsley

"This is absurd!" interjected the matron of the Weasley clan, "He's just a boy!"

"'Just a boy' who has already faced the Dark Lord or some representation of him four times and survived. Not to mention he has successfully stopped him from returning to corporal form twice before his unfortunate failure to do so in his forth year. If that kind of exposure to battle is conducive to a normal childhood for you, I would hate to think what kinds of things you subject your children to, though I doubt even your cooking could be likened to a meeting with the Dark Lord." said a sarcastic Snape.

"Why you little..." started Molly before the whole room exploded in heated conversation. Some speaking for Harry's inclusion, others against. As head of his house, McGonagall opposed this saying she didn't want any of her students in any more danger then they were already in, Remus agreed.

At the same time, the twins and Lee Jordan were telling any and all who would listen how amazing he was with the D.A. and how they had never learned so much from any other DADA professor they had ever had.

Moody was skeptically questioning Tonks on Harry's abilities and becoming more and more impressed with her responses.

Raising his hands in order to silence everyone, Dumbledore spoke. "Please, please. No more interruptions. Harry has faced more then some of you here tonight. He should have the right to choose whether he wants to be officially included in this, or if he will continue to be included in this battle by the other side due to their infatuation with him, with no knowledge of who is fighting alongside him."

You could see the looks both of agreement and disagreement on the faces of those present, and could also hear odd mutters to coincide with those looks.

Lowering his hands, he continued, "Do I have a second?"

"I'll second" said Tonks.

"All in favour?" he asked the gathering.

The noticeable majority of hands raised, including that of Dung, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Moody, Fred, George, Charlie and Bill Weasley, Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, Alicia Spinnet, Lee Jordan, Amelia Bones, Oliver Wood and, surprisingly, Professor Snape.

"All against?"

Mrs. Weasley adamantly raised her hand, followed by Remus, Emmeline Vance, Professor McGonagall and Mike Walther.

The others who were not mentioned, such as Mr. Weasley, did not vote.

"Motion carried. I shall speak with him this week and invite him to our next meeting." finished Dumbledore, as Fawkes sang in approval.

* * *

"That was beautiful, Harry." said Hermione as Harry transformed back into his human form. "It's so fascinating that your phoenix song has the same effects on people as that of a real phoenix." 

"Not really," interjected Ron, "when someone transforms into their Animagus form, they become that animal in all respects gaining their abilities and language no matter how rare those abilities may be. The only difference is that they also retain their human memories and thought process." Then turning to Harry he continued, "I'm curious about something Harry, now that you have transformed, do you carry some of the instincts from your forms in your human form as well? We already know you can still use their powers."

"Instincts? I never really thought about it. But now that I have, I don't think that's actually how it works Ron. I think I became a Phoenix _because_ of my already existing instincts and personality traits. To tell you the truth though, I never really thought about it much. Nor have I read anything on that topic, come to think of it." he commented, thinking back to the many volumes on Animagus transformation that he had read.

"That is interesting." stated Hermione "I can't wait to find out the results of my test. I wonder what type of animal I'll become." She had taken that test the previous day so that when Ron did arrive, they'd be able to start work at the same time.

Ron, who had been silently contemplating Harry's last comment finally spoke up. "You know, Harry, that kinda makes sense. Knowing what my animal is, I can see the traits and even instincts that it embodies in my life already. Come to think of it, those are qualities and traits I always thought highly of and looked for in others when making friends, not consciously, but looking back I can see that many of my choices have been based on them. Cool."

The rest of that day passed by quietly as they continued to lay in the grass on the park. Harry transformed into his kneazle form as well and played with them, much to the pleasure of Crookshanks who had made the park his home ever since arriving with Hermione earlier that week.

That evening at suppertime, they discussed the schedule of what was to come over the next few weeks. Harry presented Hermione and Ron with their schedule, starting with testing tomorrow morning, telling them that they'd probably be training individually unless they had similar abilities and that he'd be drifting in and out of their training, joining them only when his abilities would be needed. He also informed them that he'd be spending his other time in study and preparation for his coming exams and that they were welcome to fill their free time as they wished.

"Whenever Ginny gets here, she can spend her first day being tested, and then join in with the training. Any questions?" Harry asked in conclusion.

"Nope." Ron answered verbally, whereas Hermione just shook her head.

"Good. As for tonight, I thought we'd just head over to the Room of Requirement and do some dueling, unless there's something else you'd rather do?" proposed Harry.

"Well...Harry...you know..." started Hermione until she was cut off from her stamerings by Ron.

"I think what she's trying to say, Harry, is that if you can take on a dozen Death Eaters, I don't think the two of us would be much of a challenge." he clarified, much to Hermione's relief as she nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry," started Harry with a chuckle, "I wasn't implying that you'd be dueling me, I meant you'd be dueling each other with me coaching. You see, I'm gonna be working with you every other day in dueling. I find it much easier to learn dueling with a real teacher, no offences Godric," said Harry as he turned to the portrait on his right.

"None taken Harry, I'd have to agree with that statement." said Godric.

"This way, I can coach you both, and when Ginny gets here you'll have another style to duel against. After a while, the three of you can learn to work together too and I'll go easy on you…either that or I'll get Moony or Tonks to go up against you." explained Harry. "But for now, I'll just go over common spells, both offensive and defensive, useful counter spells to combat these and basic evasive moves."

"Sounds good to me." Ron said as he rose from his seat.

"Alright, I'm not one for full on dueling, but it would be good to know, I guess." admitted Hermione as she too got up.

Harry agreed as he rose, and the three were off. After the three left the room, Horass turned and spoke, "When should we tell him Godric? There is no doubt in my mind, and we mustn't wait too long. We need to tell him were the ring is before it's too late."

"I agree!" said John, followed by Wolfric and a series of nods from the others in attendance.

"Yes, yes, I know. But he's not ready yet. He couldn't get it yet even if he wanted to. His ability has not yet fully manifested itself. Not to mention he hasn't found the room yet, nor does he have the means to open it."

"There are other ways to get there, he doesn't have to use that door." corrected Horass.

"This is also true, but then he runs the risk of not being able to get back, and as I said before, his ability in that has not developed to the point were he can take that chance." clarified Godric. "If he tries now and fails..."

"We should at least tell him what's in store. Tell him about his true destiny." says Horass.

To which Godric replied "No. I believe this is one of the things he must discover on his own."

* * *

"Hello...what's this?" asked Harry as he reached for the item on the shelf. 

"Whoa...I've never actually seen one of those before, but I have heard of them." said Ron as he approached with interest.

"What _are_ you two talking about?" asked Hermione, unable to see past the two them.

Ron and Harry parted to reveal what appeared to be a polished obsidian sphere about three inches in diameter.

"What is that?" she asks, her eyes now fixed on the object.

"It looks like a Spell Ball. At least going by the descriptions I've heard of them." said Ron as he moved in closer for a better look.

"What are they supposed to do?" asked Harry

"I've read about those," started Hermione "they're kind of like a muggle grenade. You start by casting a spell into it. After you speak an activation word there is a 5 second delay before the spell originally stored in it is dispelled. The spell you use could be either offensive or defensive. I have heard of it being used to erect a magical wall or shield to block an opening, a mass healing spell being discharged affecting all in a certain area, or an offensive spells that is released in the middle of a band of enemies."

"Cool" said Harry in a sigh.

"Ya," continued Ron, "The secret of how to make them is supposed to have been lost. Only a few people could make them in the first place due to the amount of power and valuable materials needed."

"Good to know. I'll save that for later." Harry said as he placed it in one of the pockets in his Robe of Gryffindor, which he had taken to wearing, changing the colour to black with a silver griffon and silver trimming. Then drawing his wand he turned to his friends "Shall we begin?"

* * *

"Can we get _started_ already?" asked an impatient Wormtail. 

"Do shut up, will you rat?" said the dark figure who was standing over the cauldron. "This potion needs to be done at a specific time. What would you rather have? A potion that works, or our master's anger? Not a very tough choice for me, though I have heard that you quite enjoy mistreatment."

Ignoring the last remark his cloaked comrade made, Wormtail continued his pacing.

Soon afterwards, the door opened, and in walked another Death Eater. This one, however, was a little shorter then the other two, and it was obvious that he knew full well that he was currently in favour with the Dark Lord.

"Is it done yet? Our master grows impatient." the young man said.

"My good Malfoy junior, as I was explaining to our rodent companion, I need to wait till midnight to brew it if the full benefits of the potion are to be realized. You can report to the master that I have all the ingredients prepared, and that I am only waiting for the appointed time, at which point I shall begin. He will have the potion at midnight tomorrow night when it is complete. I would have been done tonight, however some of the ingredients that were acquired for me were of...lesser quality and I was forced to go and get some myself." explained the as yet unnamed Potion Master.

"Tha...that's not possible. This is from Snape's private stores. He only ever uses the best ingredients" stammered out Wormtail, unfortunately revealing where he had stolen them.

"Well, they were of good enough quality to complete what ever potions they were used for, though the effects and intensity of said potions would be greatly lessened." He explained in a rather monotone voice as he measured the contents of one of the vials once more.

Malfoy stored that little bit of information in the back of his mind for use later, before turning to leave.

"Very well Travers. I shall inform my lord of your delay." he said as he left the room.

"RAT! Make yourself useful for once and lock that door. The last thing I need is to be interrupted again once I've started the process."

* * *

"I wonder who the new DADA teacher is for this year." asked Dean. 

"Not sure" answered the redheaded figure sitting next to him at the side of the lake. "Harry said that he figures it's someone new from what Dumbledore had said to him, but he doesn't think it's anyone we'd know."

Dean's face fell again at her response, but he shrugged it off, and tried to resume the conversation.

"So, where is it you're going again for the next few days that I wont be able to see or even speak to you?" inquired Dean

Ginny was almost getting annoyed at his constant questions on this topic. "As I said before, Dumbledore has arranged for Ron, Harry, Hermione and I to get some extra training in Defense."

"I know that much, but I still don't see why you can't floo me while you're gone." he said with a disbelieving and downcast expression.

"I told you that too Dean. We'll be going to where Harry's been hiding all summer and there is no floo there." she said as she sat up and turned to look at him, her face sporting a look of confusion. "Why are you so concerned? I'll be safe, and I wont be away from you any longer then you were this summer when you went camping with your family. What's this really about?"

"I just don't understand why you have to go there with them to learn this stuff. I mean, I understand for Hermione and Ron, they're his best friends, but why you?" he explained.

Not quite sure where this was coming from, she replied, "Because I'm his friend too. Look what happened to Luna! I'd like to be ready if something like that were to happen to my house. Don't you think I should know how to defend myself?"

"Well, ya, of course I do, but I'm his friend too, and so's Seamus, why aren't we going too?" he asked again, this time in a defensive tone.

"Because I was there with them. I was there, in the department of mysteries that night. They know I'm friends with Harry. Just like the other two. And before you ask, Neville would also be there if it could, but he had other responsibilities this week. What is wrong with you?" she finally sputtered out, her anger rising at his constant stream of questions.

"Well...it's just that...I can't believe you're choosing Harry over me." said Dean showing his frank frustration.

"Is that what this is about? I can't believe you!" she said in a huff, "What do you think...wait, no. I don't want to know. Look. I'm going, and that's it. If you can't deal with that then I suggest you leave now." Her anger was beginning to turn into disappointment and sadness. "We'll talk about this when I get back."

Dean took this as his cue to leave. He got up, turned and left the waterside, not seeing the tear that rolled down Ginny's cheek.

* * *

"I don't believe it!" said Ron. 

A rather downcast Hermione responded "It's not that surprising, I mean really, it's not that common a gift. And with me being muggle born, I shouldn't have been expecting anything." she said as her eyes started to water.

"I'm sorry Hermione." said Horass in an attempt to comfort her. "We still have all the other testing to do, I'm sure you have other gifts that will be just as useful."

Hermione sniffled again, and regained her composer, much to the relief of an uncomfortable Ron who just didn't know what to do around a crying girl...especially this one.

She looked again at the blank, unchanging sheet of paper lying on the desk in front of her.

"So you're not an animagus, I'm sure you'll have a few abilities that Harry and I can't even touch." Ron said from behind her, as he awkwardly places he hand on her shoulder.

Somewhat startled by the touch, she turned around rather quickly, to come face to face with Ron only a couple of inches apart. They seemed to stand there forever, staring into each others eyes until...

"Ahem...?" Harry said from the door "should I come back later?" he asked.

Luckily, Hermione's face was still a little red from crying; however, Ron had no such convenient excuse as his embarrassment literally shone through.

"Uh...Hermione...she can't..."

"I'm not an animagus." she said quickly, but with a new found sadness.

"I was just trying to encourage her." Ron clarified, with a little more certainty in his voice.

"That's too bad Hermione. Do you have any other abilities?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.

"We don't know yet," answered Horass from his portrait, bringing a new wave of embarrassment to Ron who had totally forgot the portrait was there.

"Let's get started then." Harry said cheerfully as he entered the room.

By the end of the testing that day, Hermione had a surprisingly large number of Magical abilities for a muggle born. She had the ability of Enchanter, Transfiguration Master, Charms master and Healing Touch. And like Harry, she had not yet reached her magical peak, so she still had to be retested at a later date.

Ron ended up having just as many as Hermione, though totally different. They had Charms master in common, but after that he had Telekinetic, Heightened Magical Reflexes, and the Animagus, which he already knew about.

Hermione was feeling better at the end of the day, Ron, however, was a little disappointed.

"Oh Ron, don't worry. You still haven't reached full magical maturity yet either, you're bound to have at least another one. Besides, I think telekinesis is fascinating." Hermione said smiling.

"I know...I was just hoping for something cool, this stuff just seems so common." he said downcast.

"Ronald Weasley, you have 4 magical abilities. That in and of itself is above average, not to mention the fact that you'll still probably get one or two more. You should be thankful for what you do have, and not brood over what you wish you had." she said in a huff as she crossed her arms and looked at him sternly.

Ron cracked a grin and responded, "Yes, mother."

Hermione feigned a shocked expression at the accusation, and proceeds to throw the first thing she grabbed, a rather full inkwell, at him.

Due to his quick reflexes, he was able to dodge it, however, Stewy who had just entered the room behind him was not as fortunate.

"Oh, Stewy," said an extremely guilty looking Hermione, "I'm SO sorry, let me help you clean up. I'm sorry."

"No, that is being ok miss Hermione, please don't. I is just coming to say that diner is ready, and that Master Harry is waiting for you in the dining room."

"Ok, thanks Stewy. We'll be down in a minute." Ron said as he tried not to snicker.

Stewy disappeared, with a rather unimpressed look on his face. Probably because of the blatant messing up of the mansion rather then the ink stain on his shirt.

"Nice throw Hermione. No wonder you don't play Quiddich." he said with a smirk as he dashed out the door.

**

* * *

AN: **Thanks to my readers, and especially those of you who have passed along your comments and reviews**: AnnF, loopy dane, Terris 1, kinfest, King Dimension, Andromeda Snape-Malfoy, ChickADee, NessaFeflas, dead feather, Lynn-50670, thephantom114, Bob33, Evies, Potter and the Weasley, AKA Hummer, moodyboy66, Forfie, Melian Maia, twilekangel, Silver Warrior, BreAkINgdARuLEs, JamesPotter13, icaro, Ted M.Hammet, Trueblades, Laen, DiamondPhoenix, tish tosh, Caceless One, MandaEvelyn, Iluvatar, Twilight66, coolerdan, Tanydwr, chaser1, Rkhiara, HJP, Andais****, Schuldich, jwhit-moony, Trunks2598, Fairytale-princess-504, Kordolin, Maethron, BloodlessAce, Nightwing 509, Post-Scriptum**, **albert87**. 

And a big thanks to my two editors, I've been told time and time again that I need proof readers, so I got some: **ChickADee** and **HJP.**

Farfumsane.


	19. An interesting year

**Disclaimer: **

The characters here aren't all mine  
And from it I don't make a dime  
So please take no action  
Since my satisfaction  
Is that others enjoy my pass time.

**Chapter 18:** **An interesting year**

At dinner that night, the three friends, two chaperons and portraits shared stories and laughed at past antics.

Wolfric, it seems, had been quite a prankster in his day too. Harry and Ron both took mental notes as he told them of the time he had enchanted the quiddich hoops to act like Venus fly traps during a Slytherin practice. Apparently, the poor keeper didn't know what hit him.

Remus had even shared a couple of stories about the marauders and their adventures, before excusing himself. Shortly after Remus' departure, Tonks also decided that it was time to retire for the night and so left.

The evening continued on for the others though, and Ron went on to tell the portraits of some of the stunts his brothers had pulled in their time at Hogwarts, including last year's prank war against Umbridge.

"Professor Flitwick has even kept a piece of the swamp and roped it off in the main entrance as an example of excellent spell work." said Ron, which caused the portraits present to laugh even harder, some of them looked as though they were about to fall out of their frames they were laughing so hard.

"I remember how mad you kept getting at the twin in the beginning Hermione, but by the end, I think you were one of their biggest supporters."

Hermione didn't reply, but responded with a slight smirk.

"That reminds me, why were you so upset with Ron the first time we were here? You came in to the entry hall mad and he came in confused, which granted, for Ron isn't uncommon." asked Harry with a smirk.

"HEY!" retorted Ron with a smile of his own, before continuing "I'd like to know that myself. We were talking about my families red hair, and the obvious fascination Potters seem to have with redheads," he added wryly "and she got upset. All I had said was that she would probably look brilliant as a redhead. Then she went all mental."

"Ronald Weasley, I did NOT go 'all mental', I was just a little upset, that's all." Thinking that now was a good time as to tell them, she began, "There's a reason that the comment of me as a redhead took me by surprise." she started with hesitation, looking a little unsure for some reason, "You see, one of my si..."

But at that time the doors opened to reveal Stewy, who promptly announced in a magically amplified voice:

"Miss Ginevra Weasley, youngest daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley, 5th year student at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry and member of Dumbledore's Army." He concluded by bowing deeply and waving his hand towards the door where she entered.

Ginny jumped in and struck a ridiculous 'glamour' pose, causing the three friends present to start laughing anew. She quickly broke down too.

"Thanks Stewy, I've always wanted a big formal introduction like that." she said to him as she flashed him a big smile.

"It was being my pleasure Miss Weasley." he said, bowing again.

"Stewy, I've told you before, just call me Ginny." she said, "and no bowing, I'm not royalty." she added with a grin before going to join her friends.

She hopped into the open chair beside Hermione, "What'd I miss?"

"Nothin really" said Ron before adding "just the best meal Stewy ever made for us...it was great!"

"Honestly Ron, is food all you ever think about? We also had a great discussion with Wolfric on animating inanimate objects, Horass about magical gifts, and earlier today we also did all my magical testing, which reminds me...you aren't supposed to be here for another couple of days!"

Anyone who didn't know Hermione would think that last comment rather rude, however, her friends had grown accustom to her more...direct personality. Harry, for one, found it quite refreshing.

"I think what she's trying to ask you is; what made you decide to come early?" Harry clarified, in a much more polite fashion.

"Ya," piped in her brother fighting with a mouth full of cake "Weren't you shupposhed to shpen shome thime with Dean or shomething?"

This last comment caused Ginny's mood to become somber. "We broke up." she muttered as she pushed herself away from the table and got up. "If you don't mind Harry, I'm going to bed." she said before leaving.

You could hear her sniffling as she left the room.

"Way to go Ron. Would it kill you to try and learn to be a little more tactful?" scolded Hermione before she too got up to follow after Ginny.

For a second Harry couldn't help but think that he had just witnessed the pot calling the cauldron black.

"What'd I say?" asked Ron, after swallowing, in a confused and disbelieving voice as he shrugged his shoulders.

The two boys soon retired for the night as well, Hermione's interrupted revelation all but forgotten.

* * *

The next morning, after their usual routine and breakfast, the 4 of them met in the library. 

"Ok. Now that we're all here, I think it's a good time to tell you what happened at Luna's." started Harry.

He went on to tell them about his visit with Neville, the revelations about them knowing each other as children, then the whole incident surround his confrontation with the Death Eaters, the spell he cast, and his mysterious arrival at Hogwarts.

After the story all the friends seem to have a different reaction. Hermione's was confusion. She was obviously focusing on his arrival to Hogwarts. Ron's was anger. Though he wasn't close to Luna, she was still a member of the DA and a friend. Ginny's was one of sorrow. The description that Harry gave of Luna's body, though not as descriptive as it could have been, brought tears to her eyes. Luna was probably the best friend she had at Hogwarts, and she'd miss her a lot.

Hermione was the first to speak, "Well...it's obvious we have to find out how you got there. To tell you the truth, right now I'm completely dumbfounded. I have to look a few things up." With that she got up and walked to the reference book.

Ron's reaction was to slam his fist into his hand and declare that he'd be out in the park, running laps or something; he needed to blow off some steam. He quickly left, leaving Ginny and Harry sitting relatively alone.

Ginny, though obviously shaken, looked up at Harry through her teary eyes, "How are _you_ doing? Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Harry was dumbfounded at her level of compassion. Though it was obvious that she was hurting, her first instinct was to make sure others were alright.

"I'm fine now actually." he said earnestly. "I know it wasn't my fault, and I'm learning to accept that these things happen. Though it's not easy."

"No, it's not." she said, still trying to fight back the tears, "If you'll excuse me," she asked as she was getting up "I think I'll go for a walk." As she left, Harry could hear her sobbing.

Looking over at Hermione, he noticed that she was nose deep in a book and had missed the whole exchange. Not wanting to distract her when she's reading, since he knew how she reacted to that, he decided to go after Ginny himself to see if she was ok.

First he checked her bedroom, then the Room of Requirement, then the study even. Out of options, he called Stewy.

"Have you seen Ginny, Stewy?"

"She is being in Harry's room." Stewy answered,

"My bedroom?" he asked in shock.

"No, in Harry's other room, in the Masters' Wing." he explained.

"But, there's nothing in that room." he said, curiously.

"Well sir, Stewy is seeing that it was empty sir, so Stewy put in a desk and some chairs in case Harry is wanting to go there sometime. Master John used to go there to re-fel-lect and write in Master John's journal. The other masters did too. Each journal is in the room of the master that was writing it. So Stewy put Harry's journal there too, so Harry can write in it when he wanted." Stewy explained.

"Oh...thanks Stewy. I'm glad one of us knows what I should be doing." he said absently.

"OH NO sir, Stewy is sorry, it is not being Stewy's place to tell Harry what to do. Stewy is sorry." but Harry cut him off before he could go any further.

"Don't be sorry Stewy, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't mean to make it sound like that. What I should have said was thank you very much for thinking of that for me since I had forgotten to do it up to this point." he said with a smile before dismissing Stewy and making is way to the room.

Once there, he knocked quietly and pushed it open, "anyone in here?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Harry, I didn't know you wanted to use the room, I'll just go to my bedroom..."

"Actually Ginny," he said, interrupting her apology, "I came here looking for you." he said softly, trying to put her at ease. "You didn't seem to be doing so well when you left the library and I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it." he inquired, at the same time using his empathic ability to calm her, and give her a sense of security and trust as he sat down on the front corner of her armchair.

Even though he was new at this whole human interaction thing, especially when one of them was a girl, crying, he decided to do what he had seen others do when he was in Ginny's place. Hopefully one of them would help.

"In the least, I can offer the services of my shoulder." he said with a sad smile. He was new to this whole physical touch thing, but he tried to start by placing his arm over her shoulders.

No sooner had his arm come to rest on her shoulders, then she practically threw herself into his chest, wailing like he had never heard her cry before.

Still rather uncomfortable around crying girls, for some reason especially this one, he tried to do what seemed to help the little girl in the alley. He embraced her with both arms, holding her tight, and started to feel her pain. There was not only the loss of Luna in there, he felt also the loss of a close friend, who he assumed was Dean, the anxiety of coming stresses, which he guessed were her OWLs, her frustrations at being dictated to and underestimated, Harry thought that must be from her brothers, and a little bit of longing, a desire for something she didn't have, something specific, thou he couldn't guess as to what. In short, she was letting it all out and not holding anything back.

He was surprised that he was able to know the root of these emotions as well if not the specific cause. Apparently that was something else about his empathic abilities he'd have to look into.

Once Harry had a grasp on those feelings, he began to reverse each one of them and send them back one at a time, specifically attacking one of the hurts at a time. Slowly her wailing lessened, and her sobbing decreased. They continued to sit that way for quite some time until her crying had ceased all together.

She separated herself from Harry, and brushing away the few remaining tears, she looked up at him, "Thanks Harry. I really needed that."

Harry, relieved that he didn't have to think of anything to say in order to calm her down, just responded with a simple, "You're welcome."

They spent the next couple of hours, just talking and getting to know one another better. They had been friends for years now, but Harry didn't know her all that well at all. He didn't even know what her favorite colour was.

They talked about their basic likes and dislikes, growing up in their respective homes and life at school. Harry filled her in on some of the details of his and her brother's adventures that Ron hadn't told her about the first time around, but he decided not to mention the chamber incident or the diary, thinking that there would be a better time to do that, and she didn't seem to mind that at all.

They even talked a bit about ex-boyfriends and Harry's ex-girlfriend, if you could call her that. Harry was a little taken aback when he realized that Ginny had had more boyfriends then he had had girlfriends, and she was a year younger than him. He made a mental note to possibly look into changing that. After all, this was a new year, and though he didn't want to endanger anyone else's life, there had to be a girl out there who wanted to be with him regardless of what he had to face. Well...one could hope anyways.

* * *

Back at the school, the new DADA teacher was getting settled. It had been more then a few years since he had been in Hogwarts, not since shortly after the war with Grindewald, but it was high time he got involved again in the wizarding world. 

Albus had told him that the Order was having a meeting the night before, but he had declined the invitation. He preferred to wait to make his presence known until the feast. Besides, he knew, as Albus did, that there was always a spy or two in the Order. Dark Lords don't like not knowing what was going on, especially with their adversaries. They always found a way to infiltrate, despite the best laid countermeasures.

He was glad to be back at Hogwarts. Things had been simpler the last time he had been here, not easier by any stretch of the imagination, what with Grindewald's rise to power, but simpler in that he knew what his goals were. Things all went down hill after he accomplished them. But now there was a new Dark Lord, arguably a greater one, and it was high time he made his allegiances known. He took his black cloak out of his trunk, unrolled it, dusted it off, and held it up in front of him for a better look.

Then with a grin on his face he though _Yes, it's high time indeed._

* * *

Ron dove to his left, narrowly escaping the stunner sent at him. 

Ginny had fallen first to a stunner from behind in the initial attack. Remus soon followed as they were seeking cover. Hermione was incapacitated when the shrubs they had been hiding in started to grab her and quickly cocooned her in vines. Only he and Tonks were still standing.

Well, technically they weren't standing at all. They were both hunched behind a boulder, with their adversary waiting for then on the other side. They had gotten themselves into a tight spot from which escape was not going to be easy, if possible at all.

"Ron, you jump out on the left, I'll take the right. That way at least one of us should be able to get a spell off at him before he gets us."

Ron could only shrug in agreement, he couldn't think of a better plan, well he could actually, but Tonks was the one with experience, so he decided to go along with hers.

On three they both jumped on their respective sides. Tonks fell instantly, but Ron was left standing, face to face with...nothing?

'_Where'd he go?'_ He thought, before a spell hit him in the back, and his wand went flying out of his hand. He regained his footing, whipped around and was now facing his opponent whose wand was trained on him. Only about 10 feet separated him from the caster of that last spell. In his wandless state, he had to think fast.

His wand was only a few feet away from him on the ground. His attacker saw him looking and said in a forced raspy voice, "Go ahead...make my day."

Suddenly, a piece of wood hit Ron's assailant in the back of the head. Using the distraction he dove for his wand, grabbed it, and raised it at his attacker in time to see the bolt of energy hitting him, and leaving him bound stiffer then a board.

The black robed adversary walked up, and standing over him with his wand pointed at Ron said, "enervate" before extending a hand to help him up.

"I should just leave you down there, that piece of wood hurt!" said Harry with a smile, rubbing the back of his head with one hand while he helped his friend up with the other, "but it was an excellent use of your telekinesis. I had forgotten all about it. It's a definite advantage."

"Ya, but obviously not enough of one." replied Ron rubbing his elbow

After Ginny's day of testing, they had started their training. Ginny, Hermione and Ron would practice at working together. Eventually they were able to take on Mooney and Tonks, and even win half the time. Shortly after that, they decided to team up and spar against Harry. This had been helping Harry in developing his dueling skills quite a bit, and though it was tougher, he was still winning 9 out of 10 times.

After waking, or unbinding all the others, they sat around and discussed what they could have done better, Harry included. This was the best way to learn. They had seen what didn't work, so next time, they could try something that might.

"Ron, you looked hesitant when I said we should jump out from behind the rock, why's that?" asked Tonks during the session.

"Well," he started cautiously "I just thought that our best course of action would have been to dive straight back from the rock into the bushes. They weren't too far, and from there we wouldn't have been out in the open. There was also a better chance that we would have both made it, in turn giving us a much better chance of actually beating him."

"Ron's right" said Harry, thinking that he'd been saying that a lot more often this summer then he ever had in the past, "Had you done that, I would have flashed in right in front of both of you expecting to find you still behind the boulder...if I didn't see you go into the bush of course. Either way, I doubt I would have been able to hit you with that rock as cover."

"That was a much better plan," agreed Tonks "Why didn't you say something? I wasn't thrilled about my choice, but when nothing else presented itself, I decided to act on it. Next time speak up for Merlin's sake, that landing hurt." She said, rubbing her backside, much to the amusement of all others present.

* * *

After all the testing had been completed, Harry and friends were pleasantly surprised at the diversity of the gifts that they four of them possessed. 

Ron and Ginny ended up having a few gifts that were the same, but being that they weren't just family, but children of the same two parents, it was expected. Both had the ability to become Animagus, both were Charms Masters and had Heightened Magical Reflexes. Ginny didn't share in Ron's gift of Telekinesis, but she would likely have more to follow due to her young age.

Hermione, of course, was the one who floored them all. Four gifts had already surfaced in Healing touch, Charms master, Transfiguration master and Enchanter. No one was really surprised about the enchanting skill, since the gallons she had made were still working strong and showed no signs of magical degradation (The gift of enchanting makes most enchantments cast by them permanent). For a muggle born, who is not even yet at full magical maturity this number of gifts alone was unheard of.

Harry was very curious about this, and knew that it was not possible for a muggle born to have more then one, or two magical abilities at the most, 'Unless...naw, she can't be. There's no way she would have been able to keep that from Ron and I for this long' he thought before discounting the idea all together.

* * *

Shortly after dinner that night, Stewy appeared next to Harry, who had been discussing something with Remus,and whispered something in his ear.He then nodded, and said something back in a hushed tone. 

"What was that Harry?" asked Ron.

"Sorry to eat and run, but it would appear that my presence is requested elsewhere." said Harry to his friends and the portraits in a rather official sounding voice, "I will be back soon."

"Where you goin Harry?" asked Ginny this time.

"I'll tell you later, but for now, enjoy desert" he responded, before ditching the persona of Lord of the Manor and adding with a smile and a twinkle in his eye "and save me some." With that, he stood up, morphed into adult well built Harry, and flashed away.

"I hate it when he does that." said Ron in response to Harry's physical transformation, before picking up another drumstick.

"Speak for yourself" muttered a slightly blushing Ginny, getting a giggle and aa agreeing nod from both Hermione and Tonks.

* * *

In the Lounge, Harry saw Professor Dumbledore looking at the dagger that was on Harry's desk. 

"Apparently, it's a sixteenth century dagger that was given to one of my great-great or greater grandfathers by the astronomer Tycho Brahe after saving his life. The poor man died only a year later however, in a most unfortunate way apparently" explained Harry.

Dumbledore, without looking up from the dagger added "Though recently there have been rumours that he may have died of mercury poisoning instead." Now looking over at Harry he smiled, "But this is not the reason I came by."

Harry motioned for him to sit in the chair across from the one he was lowering himself into.

The headmaster thanked him with a nod and sat down before continuing.

"Harry, I am here on official business. We wish to invite you into the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry's expression became thoughtful...not at all what the headmaster was expecting.

"It's actually a much more difficult decision then I would have thought it to be last year." said Harry, still deep in thought.

Professor Dumbledore just looked at him quizzically, but said nothing.

"I was just wondering what my duties would entail. Would I be expected to go on raids with the other members? Would I be called from school for actual missions? Or would I just be a kid who sat in on meetings, be ignored when I give advice and given menial tasks like helping to brew potions and patrolling the halls of Hogwarts late at night?" Harry inquired.

"Well, Harry, that would be entirely up to you, though I must point out that the brewing of potions is not a menial task in the least. As with every member of the order, you will be asked what you think your strengths are, and we will try to you use you in the most efficient way possible. However, in your case, you will rarely be asked to leave the premises of Hogwarts due to the fact that you still have to complete your schooling, not to mention your presence will also be a deterrent for people to attack the Castle, knowing that the two of us are present. One of your tasks would actually be related to the DA, in that I would ask you to evaluate the students you are teaching, and perhaps encourage those in their final year to continue to fight for the side of light, perhaps even as a member of the order as well." responded the Headmaster.

"May I have some time to think about it?" asked Harry. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of being a recruiter for the Order, but with so many of his friends and graduated DAs in it already, he decided to mull it over for a little while. It might not be a bad thing, especially if he was supposed to be the one to win this war it would be nice to have people fighting beside him that he knew and trusted.

"Of course Harry. The next meeting isn't for another week or two, I'll give you till then to decide."

Harry nodded his thanks before the headmaster continued.

"I was able to arrange that your exams would start a little later in the day so that you're not waking up at a ridiculous hour here in Potter Mansion. As such, your first exam at the ministry will be at 11 am tomorrow morning. Since Godric explained the time difference to me so clearly, I took the liberty of figuring out your timetable. Tomorrow morning, at 9pt, as you are so fond to call it, meet me at the ministry of magic. You do remember where the fire place in the lobby is correct?" inquired the Headmaster, to which Harry nodded, "good. Flash there, and I'll be waiting for you. That will be 10:30 outside time, and will give us more then enough time to get to the room in which the exams are to be written."

Again, Harry nodded in understanding.

"And might I make a small suggestion? I would recommend you come as young Harry, and wearing your Hogwarts robes as opposed to adult Harry, dressed as the Heir of Gryffindor. This will help keep your identity a secret from those who are desperately searching for who you are at the moment."

"Of course Albus. I was planning on doing that already." he said with a smile.

"Excellent. Tomorrow morning then, Harry. Enjoy your night." said Albus as he was getting up.

Doing some quick math in his head, Harry too rose and addressed him "Albus, it must be about 6 am in the outside world. Why don't you stay the night here? I'm sure Stewy wouldn't mind getting a room prepared for you. That way you can get a full night's sleep and we can leave together in the morning and be sure to arrive at the same time."

"That's an excellent idea Harry, that is, if it really is no trouble." asked the Headmaster.

"None at all Albus. It would be my pleasure to have you as my guest." assured Harry.

Harry proceeded to call Stewy and had him prepare a room for the professor, before inviting the professor to join them in the dining hall.

* * *

Harry's exams went by without incident. The only bad point of his day was passing Draco Malfoy on his way in to take his exams. They exchanged grimaces much like they had in the past. Though this time Harry saw something in his eyes that wasn't there before: Loathing. He had always disliked Harry, even hated him, but this time it was different, it was pure and utter loathing. This promised to be an interesting year. 

First off was his Muggle studies exam, which he had to admit that he didn't even study for. He figured that the misuse of muggle artifacts department had assisted the muggle relations department in fabricating this exam when he saw the question: What exactly is the purpose of a rubber duck? Most of it was simple definitions and explanation of muggle items that Harry had grown up with. The questions he had the most problems with were the ones asking what to do in a muggle area when Magic is used either by you or someone else, so he just guessed.

Next came Arithmacy, which was a breeze. He did hit one major snag though, and asked the supervisor what one of the particular symbols was supposed to be in one if the equations. Harry asked him if it was supposed to be one of three symbols that it was kind of similar to. The supervisor looked at it with a confused expression, then admitted that it was very poorly drawn and wasn't sure what it was supposed to be. Harry settled on answering the question three times, since, depending on which symbol it was, the answer in all three cases would be quite different.

Ancient Runes, on the other hand, was a little more difficult. Some the ruins he was being tested on weren't in the book he had used to study. He found out later that the one he had in Potter Mansion was a little out dated due to many discoveries in the 20 since it had been published, though he was sure he passed.

Harry saw many faces that he recognised that day in the cafeteria between exams. More then he thought he would. Mr. Weasley dropped in to say hello and to send Molly's love. Even Percy had dropped by. He had been very formal though, and Harry wasn't sure if he was being polite, or if Fudge had sent him to check up on Harry. Kingsley stopped by too to wish him luck. But the encounter Harry liked the most, was when Amelia Bones and her niece Susan stopped in for a bite to eat.

Harry wasn't the only one who had matured over the holidays. Susan was looking very good. She had slimmed out amazingly and had a beautiful figure.

Amelia, with a smiled that betrayed the fact that she knew Harry would be here today, went up to get food for her and Susan, leaving the two classmates to talk.

"Hi Harry" said Susan with an almost equally admiring gaze.

"Hey Susan, how's your summer been?" asked Harry.

"Good. I'm living with my aunt, and she decided to bring me in to the ministry today and give me a look around. I thought it was just to give me something to do since I've been complaining about being bored lately, but by the look on her face when she saw you were in here, I have a feeling that she had other plans. Sometimes I wonder why she wasn't sorted into Slytherin." she explained with a little laugh.

They continued to chat about classes last term, their OWL marks, Harry's exams that day, and about what courses they were going to choose for next year. He was pleased to find out that they would have some classed together, and was looking forward to them. After all, she was one cute redhead.

Susan's aunt joined them part way through their conversation with the food, but remained quiet for the most part, smiling quite a bit at the interaction and apparent mutual interest between the two teens in front of her.

They all got up to leave at the same time, Amelia wishing him luck, and Susan assuring him that she would look for him on the train to Hogwarts. Before leaving, she went to hug him, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"That's for your help last year in DADA." then in a softer voice so her aunt couldn't hear her, "well...part of it anyway. We'll talk about how I'll thank you properly on the train ride." Then after a quick, suggestive wink, she turned and left with her aunt, leaving a grinning Harry in her wake.

'Yes' he thought 'this is going to be a very interesting year indeed.'

* * *

Harry wasn't the only one going to the ministry that morning. 

Draco Malfoy, as the eldest male of the Malfoy line was to appear in court to defend his claims on the properties and possessions of the Malfoy family.

His victory in these claims was practically assured as it was. A few of the council were supporters of the Dark Lord, and some of the ones who weren't were easily bought to render the desired vote. The hearing was just a formality, as was so much in the wizarding world today. As his father's trial had been.

Draco had discovered shortly after the trial that the decisions and verdicts had already been decided, and some of the other Death Eaters on trial had successfully paid their way out of not being kissed. He was not impressed that his father was the one to take the heat for all of them, but now Draco was ranked _above_ them in the service of his Lord, and once they had been broken out of prison, he would have his revenge.

The hearing went according to plan. His family was forced to pay a hefty fine from their estate, but nothing he couldn't afford with ease. Of course, had they confiscated everything, Draco still would have been well off with all of the investments in other names his father had made including many in the muggle world. Muggles were disgusting creatures, but they did have their uses, and their 'Stock market' was a glorious invention, especially when one visit by a wizard, and a well placed spell on a specific executive, could cause a company to shatter or climb.

As he was leaving, around 10:45, he had the misfortune of passing by saint Potter and the muggle loving fool. He merely snarled, and refused to make prolonged eye contact with either of them as he passed them on his way to the public floo. If everything went according to plan, they'd be getting theirs this year, and then there would be some changes at Hogwarts...changes for the better.

'Yes' he thought to himself as a cruel smile emerged on his lips 'this is going to be a very interesting year indeed.'

* * *

**AN:** Thanks to all the reviewers: **old-crow,** **MandaEvelyn**, **ratzoratz, Sara,** **Murdax, Moselyn, Wulfeyez, tish tosh, firelegs, albert87, Jack-A-Roe, Silver Warrior, Talix, Padfoot, Anxiously****, Chaser1, Joseph Schuler**, **Captuniv, Cat Calls,** **Fairytale-pricess-504****, Nessa Felas, Ava Monroe, Mikedc39, TankerMDK, thephantom114, Schwinpt, nonjon, CurlsofSerenity, Nightwing 509.** Ok, so there weren't as many as last time, but I also didn't wait 4 months to update either. Again, **thank you **all, and **_please_** keep them coming. 

And a big round of applause for my beta/editor for this chapter **ChickADee. **So if there's antyhing wrong in the spelling...blame her ;) Thanks again.

Farfumsane


	20. Grand Opening!

**Disclaimer:**

Knock Knock  
_Who's there?  
_Not mine  
_Not mine who?_  
Not mine main characters or world, nor am I making any money off this stuff so please don't sue me.

**Chapter 19: Grand opening!**

"Oy! Ron! Hurry up!" hollered Harry up the stairs. Everyone else was dressed, ready and waiting in the entry hall. Harry, who was not altering his appearance with his metamorphmagus powers today, checked his outfit again. He wore the Robe of Gryffindor as an under robe, never wanting to be in public without it again. It had realised what he was doing, and became more form fitting allowing him to easily wear his black Potter Robe with his family crest on it over top. After he placed a cooling charm on himself (two robes was rather warm, after all) he was ready to go.

"Coming!" he called back as he ran down the hall towards them.

"Took you long enough." chastised Hermione.

Ron gave her a grimace as he straightened his robes. Thanks to one of the books in Harry's library that listed the heraldry of most of the older magical families, they were able to make family robes. Ron's was of very expensive material, top design and, ironically enough, maroon, since this was the Weasley family colour, and displayed the Weasley family crest over the front left breast. Though the Weasley family was not an Ancient Wizarding family, it was an old and very respectable one, having been established approximately 100yrs after the founding of Hogwarts.

Harry had made them all accept new robes from him, since he had many extras, and he highly doubted that he'd need them all, especially the lady's robes. As per Wizarding tradition, which Harry was now quite familiar with, Ginny was wearing a black robe with a much smaller Weasley crest on it in the same place. This was to show that though she was unmarried she was from the house of Weasley. Hermione's black robe displayed a small crest as well, but since she was not from a recognised wizarding family, the crest she wore was that of the Potter line, since Harry had offered to be her sponsor.

'And oh, that _had been_ a head ache' thought Harry as he admired his friends' gowns.

_-FLASHBACK-_

"Well that just has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." raged Hermione "So you're saying that I can't just wear a normal robe? Not even just a plain one like other witches and wizards I see in public? Or even one with just my house emblem on it?"

"Look Hermione, I've explained the tradition to you. It's your choice. You can wear your school robe or any robe you want, but as I explained, due to the laws of this world, if there was an accident or anything like that, you would be treated last since they go by social order of importance when it comes to emergency response, and even in some stores and restaurants you'd be served last. Though I know they don't do that much here in London anymore, (though they will serve a noble pureblood family first because they know who they are by face), there are still some places in the wizarding world which are even more traditional then here, like France or China. Heck, if you dress like a muggle in some places they wont even serve you at all." explained Harry. Again.

"You're saying that I don't have a choice! Being muggle born, being a **_MUDBLOOD_**, I have no rights!" she yelled, with tears of anger and frustration forming in her eyes. Harry was starting to realize that she was taking this as a personal attack, so he decided to change approaches.

Calmly, and with an apologetic expression on his face he continued "No, Hermione, that's not what I'm saying. And I'm sorry if that's what you heard. I would never purposely try to insult you. What I'm trying to say is that I want you to represent the Potter house." Her anger slowly began to ebb, and her curiosity was peaked "Older wizarding houses can sponsor young witches and wizards before they are of age, granting them the status of someone in that house. I want people to know that you're my friend, and part of my family." he explained to a Hermione who was now smiling through her red and puffy cheeks.

"Oh Harry." she said before giving him a big hug, which he returned as he continued to speak over her shoulder.

"If I wanna use some of these old laws and traditions that I've been researching, then the people who spend a lot of time with me, and are seen with me in public, need to do the same. Things can't be changed from the outside. We need to get inside if we're gonna rally everyone together to stand up to Voldemort." Then after they separated, Harry smiled and went on "besides, I wanna see Fudges face when I demand to be seated at the head table at a social function due to my status as head of House Gryffindor/Potter." he smirked triumphantly with a twinkle in his eye.

Hermione herself smiled at the thought of the stuttering and enraged Fudge but then lightly punched Harry on the arm "You shouldn't abuse it. It's bad enough he's got it in for you, no point in making it worse."

"My dear Hermione, you have no idea what I have planned for our dear minister." Harry's thoughts then drifted to the events he would be putting in motion the next day, and smiled.

"I know that smile." said a stern, McGonagall-like Hermione while pointing a finger at Harry "that's the smile that came across your face right before you charmed Ron's boxers to wear themselves on the outside of his pants, and made them invisible to the wearer." referring to one of the many pranks that had been used over these pasts few weeks.

"Don't worry," said a now calm, and 'mature' looking Harry "I wont be doing anything to the poor minister that he didn't call upon himself by his actions."

"Oh no." she muttered as she watched him walk out the room.

_-END FLASHBACK-_

Then looking down at his watch, Harry smiled "Show time!"

Saying their goodbyes to Stewy, the friends headed out of Potter Mansion, into number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Harry quietly said the activation word to fold down the door. Remus and Tonks had left earlier that morning, so only Stewy was left inside. He picked up the cube, put it in one if the magically guarded pockets in his Robe of Gryffindor that didn't let anyone other then the wearer remove its contents, and led the way downstairs to where they'd meet up with Mrs. Weasley.

* * *

"Ronald Weasley, what are you wearing! Take that off this instance, and put on your school Robe." said Mrs. Weasley upon seeing the first of her children come down the stairs wearing obviously expensive gowns. "What on earth is that crest about anyways?" 

"That, Molly, is the Weasley Family Crest." said Arthur as he placed his hand on his wife's shoulder and smiled. "I haven't seen it since I was a boy before Grandfather's manor was destroyed." then turning his attention to his son "Where did you find it? I've meant to look through ministry record for years to find a duplicate of it, but never seemed to get around to it."

"That would be my doing Mr. Weasley." said Harry as he stepped up from behind his friends who had all chosen to stay silent as Mr. And Mrs. Weasley were talking. "I have recently gotten access to all my family's tomes and historical records, and I found your crest in one of the books on Wizarding Heraldry."

"How old was the book you used Harry? That crest looks older, and less ornate then the one I remember."

"Well," Harry paused to think, "it's about 500 years old and it's not self updating, though one of the Potters before me had put little notes in the margins. For example, did you know that you are descended from the youngest daughter of Godric Gryffindor?"

"Are we really?" asked a disbelieving Arthur.

"Yes, the youngest daughter of the youngest daughter of Godric Gryffindor married and had another daughter, Laura who ended up marrying a muggle man named Jacob Weasley. The weasley family itself came into being when the first magical Weasley male was born to that couple about 20 years later." explained Harry. "Oh, and these are for you two." he said, handing them each a small package.

Upon opening them, they each held up a very fine maroon robe both displaying the Weasley Crest. Mrs. Weasley's had light gold trimming along the edges of hers, showing her status as the matriarch of the Weasley clan, and Mr. Weasley's was heavily trimmed in gold, matching the designs of the silver on Harry's robe, marking him as the Head of the family.

"Harry!" said an exasperated Molly, "We can't accept these. They must have cost a fortune." Arthur just stood there, wearing a disappointed expression, and nodded in agreement.

"Mrs. Weasley, I don't want to argue with you, but please accept them, and wear them when we're out in public together. I need the people around me to dress according to their station if I'm gonna pull this off."

A confused expression appeared on both of the senior Weasley's faces. "What plan is that Harry?" asked Arthur.

Looking down at his watch, Harry stated "Oh my, look at the time. We should get going. I'll meet you at the Leaky cauldron. Don't forget to change." he said quickly before flashing away.

"What's he got planned?" asked Mrs. Weasley of the other youngsters.

"I wish I knew. All I know is that it involves the Minister of Magic and that the Minister is not going to be happy when he's done." explained a concerned looking Hermione.

Mr. Weasley shook his head, and smiled slightly as he ushered everyone towards the fireplace.

* * *

When they arrived, they were pleased to see that they were not covered in soot. Harry had already replaced the pot on top of the fireplace at Grimmauld Place with a more expensive kind with floo powder that not only kept you clean when traveling, but also burned a deep red. 

When he saw them arrive, he ended his conversation with Tom, who appeared to be in a very good mood, and walked across the semi crowed pub to his friends ignoring the frantic whispers of the other patrons.

Harry was pleased to see that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had changed after all, and were now wearing their family robes.

They exited the bar and entered Diagon Alley. Harry always loved going, and even to this day he still marveled at the sites. He'd known he was a wizard for 5 years now, and though he was almost used to it, it was still a source of wonder to him from time to time.

He ignored, rather successfully, the questions and queries being thrown at him from Hermione, Molly and Arthur, while talking to Ginny and Ron about quiddich, and how much he was looking forward to the grand opening.

They arrived early to find Fred and George rather worried about the coming festivities, and second guessing their choice of florescent yellow and green muggle suits that they had chosen to wear. Harry just smiled and presented them each with a small bundle. Both twins were happy to find matching maroon quiddich robes with the Weasley crest on the front and their names written across the back with the large WWW emblem below it filling in the whole back.

They quickly donned their new outfits and got ready to greet the public. Harry pulled them aside first to have a word with them about how things were going to play out.

* * *

The crowd in front of the store was mostly comprised of young people, ages 13 to 19 and some sets of parents. The only people there not accompanied by children were the reporters. 

'Oh great' Harry thought wryly '**_she's_** here.'

_Of course she is, do you really think that Rita Skeeter would pass up an opportunity to possibly see and interview Harry Potter?_

Looking around, Harry smiled. 'You know, you're making this way too easy for me. You just cut down the possibilities for your identity significantly by admitting that you are here.'

_What do you mean? I never said I was there. _She explained.

'True, but I never thought about the name of the person I was thinking about. Unlike with Voldemort, she's one person whose name I even try not to think, let alone speak.' he explained.

_...ummm. Ah well, you're bound to figure it out sooner or later._ She said, before he felt the presence leave.

Putting up his full mental shields, he started to think about who this young lady was who had 'been on his mind' since the beginning of the summer.

Scanning the crowd he noticed a few possibilities. Alicia was there, as was Katie. Practically all the D.A. had made it, which meant that Hermione, Ginny, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones were also there. The only two girls who weren't there from the D.A. were Cho and Marietta, though he didn't expect either of them to come today. He'd have to have a talk with each of them when school started up. But for now, he had other things on his mind.

He also recognised a couple of other female students from various houses. Orla Quirke, a third year chaser from Ravenclaw's quiddich team, Natalie McDonald, a third year Gryffindor who had tried out for the quiddich team last year, and also another couple of what Harry thought were 4th year Hufflepuffs, were all there too.

Harry would have to think about it for a while, but right now, he was out of time.

"Witches and Wizards..." started Fred.

"Boyles and Ghouls..." continued George.

"We are pleased to bring to you..."

"Our newest..."

"...greatest..."

"...and most illustrious gag of them all..."

"Weasley Wizarding Wheezes!" they said together.

"The gag, of course, being..."

"...that we're are gonna try to make a living off our jokes." they explained, to the amusement of the crowd.

"Before we open our doors we thought we'd demonstrate..."

"...some of our more popular products."

They continued by asking for some volunteers, and most of the D.A. that were present were called up at one point or another. They showed the people their Canary Creams and other magical sweets. They demonstrated their fake wands and other novelties too. The crowd was both amused and interested to see what other products these two musing masterminds had come up with, and as soon as they opened their doors, the place was packed.

People of all ages were packed in the small store, which was located only two doors down from Madam Malkin's.

"Personally," said one middle-aged business wizard who Harry had overheard "I've been looking to get back at one of the 'jokers' in the office for some time now. This will do the trick nicely!" he explained to a lady of similar age, who was looking at him with curiosity, as he grabbed one of the boxes of Transfiguring Treats.

And so it continued. People of all ages were buying both for themselves and others. Some parents could be seen copying down the effects of the skiving snackboxes, though they knew there was a couple of mystery illnesses in each box.

As the day went on, Harry made it a point to talk to each of the reporters present, and told them to be there at the time the store closed, since he had something he wanted to tell the magical world.

As he had expected, about half an hour before he was going to commence his impromptu press conference, Minister Fudge and his entourage had appeared and were outside addressing the media who were present, telling them who knows what. Harry could only guess at what he was saying, but still laughed to himself at the Minister's predictable attempt to steal the spotlight.

After being signaled by Harry that it was time, the twins start to usher people out, telling them that the store was closing, but that it would be open again tomorrow and they were invited to return and bring their friends.

The press, seeing that the people being ushered out, started to abandon Fudge and faced the stage that had been set up by the twins for the initial presentation just to the right of the front door of WWW.

"What are they all waiting for? And what are all those reporters still doing here?" asked Mrs. Weasley peaking out the windows.

"They're waiting for me." answered Harry before asking her to join her family before he continued. "I have a few things I need to talk to the press about. You are welcome to stay, but if you choose to join me onstage, please understand that people will think that you are agreeing with everything I say, so I would suggest you stay in the crowd until I have finished, and if you agree with me afterwards, then you are more then welcome to join me."

"Harry dear, what are you going to talk about? I don't think this is a really good idea..." started Mrs. Weasley before being cut off by Harry.

"Thank you for your opinion Mrs. Weasley, but please trust me. I have put a lot of thought into what I am going to say, and I truly believe it's the right thing to do."

"Did you talk to Dumbledore about this first Harry?" asked Mr. Weasley.

Turning to Arthur, with an expression on his face that made him look much older, "No, I didn't. I both respect the headmaster and care for him very much. However, this does not directly involve him. This is between me and Fudge. Now, if you'll excuse me." he concluded with a brief nod, before turning and heading out the door, before anyone else could question him.

The others hurried out, not wanting to miss it, and as they walked Arthur turned to his son "do you know what he's doing?" Ron just shrugged and shook his head as a response and he followed the rest of them to the edge of the stage.

* * *

"Ah, young Draco, come forward" said the snake like man to the lone figure standing in the doorway. 

"My Lord" the young blond who had moved closer bowed and kneeled on one knee "You sent for me?"

"Yes I did. You have been progressing quite well this summer, and I must say that your ambition in this task would make even Salazar proud. You will be tested in two days time, by me. After which you will join my ranks officially."

"Thank you, My Lord." said the young Malfoy, still on bended knee before him.

"I have a specific task for you within Hogwarts. Even though I already have multiple spies among that flock, you will be the most recognizable, and highest ranking. If anyone approaches you wishing to join, you are to let me know along with your opinion of that person. I will be giving you a device to allow for us to communicate later so that we can discuss things while you are there. If anyone approaches you to pass along information to me, you will do so without hesitation. You will be my voice and main contact among the students, do not abuse the position."

"It will be an honour to serve, my Lord." said the young man, who was obviously smiling.

"You may go and prepare for the testing. Be back in two days, at 9am for your testing. Now go."

The young man rose, bowed again, and turned towards the door. As he was about to leave the room his master spoke again.

"If you should fail me, or turn, your punishment will be worse then the one I have planned for the spy that you have recently helped me to discover in our midst. But serve me well and faithfully and you shall be rewarded greatly, young Malfoy."

Turning he bowed again, "Yes my Lord." Then he left.

'_Nagani'_ hissed Voldemort to the snake in the corner. '_What isss the word from your cousssinsss in the foressst?'_

"_Massster,' _replied the snake, _'they have found the opening, and are presssently guarding it. They sssay that it hasssn't been ussed in a long time. The ancient one had grown too large to fit through it, and wasss having othersss bring him food. It hasss fallen into disssussse.'_

'_Excellent my child. We shall go and sssee for ourssselvesss sssoon.' _and with a snake like grin on his face, Voldemort closed his eyes, to once again try and search for the boy's mind. His plans had fallen apart this summer due to the boy's vanishing, and neither of his spies in the order knew where he had gone. Soon Potter will be out in public again, and from there he'd try a new plan.

* * *

You could feel the anticipation in the air. FINALLY, The Boy-Who-Lived was actually going to come out and talk to the public. As much as Fudge had been telling the reporters that he had thought of this all along, and that he was a very close friend and confidant to Mr. Potter, most people around, especially those still there from the D.A., could be heard snorting at his comments. 

At Fudge's press conference earlier that summer he did not actually apologize as the papers had originally said he would. Fudge claimed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had indeed returned, and that he had attacked the ministry building resulting in the capture of the Death Eaters who had been on trial. He went on to say that to the best of his knowledge the Dark Lord had been back now for about a year, and that he didn't make any announcements because he wanted to lull the Dark Lord into a false sense of security before he sprung his trap. The press had eaten it up. The media praised Fudge as a genius for crippling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named by capturing some of his highest ranking Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries and striking the first major blow in this war.

When Harry had read the article he wasn't sure if he should laugh, or be enraged. Fudge had said that he was working in conjunction with Dumbledore all along, and it was actually the two of them, with Harry Potter's help, who had sprung the trap.

Harry was here to set the records straight.

Standing on the stage, and ignoring the press who were trying to throw a million questions at him, he started speaking, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Harry paused when he noticed that Fudge was trying to make his way from the back of the group to the stage.

"I have come today to tell you what REALLY happened the night the Death Eaters were captured at the ministry. The magical community has the right to know the truth." This caused murmurs to erupt. Fudge looked worried as he inched his way closer to the stage and tried frantically to get Harry's attention.

"That night, it was I who had been lured there, not the other way around. Voldemort" several people gasped at the name and one lady actually fainted "had tricked me into coming to the ministry and had intended to capture me."

"Harry my boy," started the Minister "What are you saying? This was all part of our plan." he as he donned his well rehearsed smile and tried to make his way on stage.

Harry wouldn't have it. "Excuse me Minister, but this is my press conference. If you attempt to interrupt again, I will be well within my rights to press charges."

Fudge looked flustered "That's absurd! You can't..." but he was cut off by Harry.

"I am well within my legal rights to do so. As Head of the Potter family, the third oldest wizarding family in Great Britain, I have the right to call a press conference whenever I so choose, as a result of the Noble Families Laws of 1256, Article VII, paragraph 5, and I also have the right to not be interrupted. By anyone." he added with a glare. "If you fail to submit to your own laws, I would suggest you resign. Unless you are unaware of such laws. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time you are not aware of the laws of your own country, unless you were purposely breaking them."

"This is slander..." but again, Fudge was cut off by Harry.

"Do you want to talk about SLANDER?" he practically yelled, silencing Fudge. "How about all of last year? You lied about me, you defamed me to the Daily Prophet, and even _PAID_ some of them to write the CRAP that you fed them, even when they told you they wouldn't. Don't bother denying it, I have enough proof to convict you in a _JUST_ court of law. That would be something ELSE you're not familiar with after bringing me in front of the entire Wizengamot for a simple underage magic use trial. Not to mention that it helps when you find that your family owns a great deal of the shares. People tend to listen to a major shareholder, and are rather forth coming in their apologies. And that's just the tip of the ice berg isn't it?"

"Mr. Potter, I believe..."

"MINISTER FUDGE! THIS is NOT a discussion, THIS is a PRESS CONFERENCE, kindly step back, off the stage and STOP INTERUPTING ME!" At this point, more people had begun to arrive. Even some of the on duty Aurors that were patrolling the area had come by to see what was going on. Harry was pleased to see that Kingsley was one of them, which would make things easier.

"As I was saying," said Harry, turning back to the crowd "apart from calling me a liar and insane, which is also against the law without proof, as a result of the Wizarding rights act of 1539, you also slandered the head of one of the oldest and most noble houses in this country, the Third oldest still around today actually, next to the houses of Goshawk and Kenley. As a result, you also broke Article IV, paragraph 9 of the Noble Families Laws of 1256 by making unfounded accusations of someone in high social standing."

Fudge started to look uncomfortable as Harry continued "On a lesser charge, since I have been back in the Wizarding world, there has been 23 formal wizarding family functions, to which The House of Potter was not even invited. Due to my House's standing, I am insulted. Furthermore, I am enraged by the fact that at 17 of these, the head of the Malfoy family not only sat at the head table, but also at the minister's right hand. Seeing that there were people there who were from a more esteemed family then the Malfoy's, it was an insult not only to me who wasn't even invited, but also to those who were not showed the proper respect due their station. It's also poor judge of character on your part, considering that one of your greatest financial supporters, and confidants, was one of the highest ranking Death Eaters."

Fudge did his best to hide his worry, and started to address the crowd, "This boy is obviously unstable. He should..."

"THAT'S IT!" yelled Harry in rage, "MR. Fudge, as head of the House of Potter, and defender of its name, I challenge you to a duel." said Harry as he drew his wand. "For someone who claims to be a servant to the people who elected you, you have a very poor understanding of the laws that built your office. Either that, or you have blatantly disregarded them, and if that is the case, then you are one sorry excuse for a minister. And for that reason, regardless of the outcome I WILL be pressing official charges after it is over. What say you to my challenge?"

Fudge was now sputtering "Th..this is preposterous, I will not partake..."

"Do you refuse a duel of honour? In so doing you renounce your title as Minister, and render suspect all statements ever made by you, and all laws you've passed as stated in Article I paragraph 9 of the laws of Honour Duels passed in 1590. If that is the case, I call for your immediate arrest, and resignation."

"This is..." started a disbelieving Fudge "Aurors, arrest him. It is clear he was about to break the decree for the restriction of underage magic." he concluded pointing at him with an angry and superior sneer on his face.

"Actually, _minister_" started Harry "due to my status as head of the House of Potter, I have a legal right to use magic in my defense, OR in the defense of my family's honour as stated in Article XI, Paragraph 1 of the Noble Families Laws of 1256. So either you accept my challenge, or these men will be escorting YOU off the premises."

Fudges face was contorted in extreme anger as he slowly drew his wand. "Fine! If that's the way you want to play this, Potter, I'll beat you right here, in front of all these witnesses."

"Very well." he then turned to the crowd "Please clear an area for myself and the minister."

It was like Moses and the Red Sea all over again. As Harry and Fudge made their way into the throng, it parted, and a large area was cleared without hesitation. Everyone was too shocked to say anything, and just complied. Even Mrs. Weasley was to taken aback at what was taking place, and couldn't recover enough to try and stop Harry.

"We will do this in the old style." said Harry "Auror," he said pointing at Kingsley "Would you be willing to oversee this duel, and ensure its fairness?"

"Yes sir." He answered with a slight bow to Harry.

"Thank you." Then, facing Fudge who had taken up a stance at the other end of the clearing, Harry continued "As it is I who challenged you, I will set the parameters. We will duel until one of is either rendered unconscious, or looses his wand. Everything is legal except the unforgivables. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" he hissed.

"When you are ready, please signal the start of the duel." Harry said to Kingsley.

Harry got into position and waited.

"GO!"

Harry quickly put up a shield that absorbed the first bolt sent at him. He had decided not to appear too powerful. He didn't need to show them all his tricks, and he didn't want anyone to be able to gage his true abilities.

Several wizards and witches in the crowd had put up their own protective shields as well, to intercept any possible stray curses.

Harry sent the many smaller hexes. And most of them landed since the minister was too busy trying to fight off powerful ones that just weren't coming.

Harry had to laugh inwardly. Fudge was now 2 feet shorter, completely bald, with a three inch nose and large pointy ears. His appearance resembled that of a goblin with less wrinkles.

Feeling as though the poor minister had had enough, he decided to end it, while continuing to dodge Fudge's poorly placed spells.

The fight was over within a couple if minutes, as one of Harry's full body binds hit the minister head on. He walked over to Fudge, took his wand, presented it to Kingsley Shacklebolt, and then asked him to remove Fudge as the crowd clapped in their approval. Harry then told him that he'd be down to Auror Headquarters shortly to press formal charges.

After returning to the stage, the reporters were all trying to ask questions and get his attention. Harry simply raised his hand for silence and again started addressing the crowd. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, this is what _really_ happened that night at the ministry..."

* * *

As Harry was talking, one could see the various reactions to what had just taken place on the faces of all his friends present. Ron was pleased, and grinning like he had just won the quiddich cup, as was Ginny. Hermione looked proud of him for finally standing up to Fudge, but at the same time a little disappointed in the manner in which he did it. 

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were just staring at each other in utter shock. What had happened to their little Harry? The boy who wouldn't speak over a whisper, and was always worried about what others around him thought. They weren't happy about his disregard for authority, but were impressed that he had so easily won, not to mention his knowledge of all those archaic laws. But the two most pronounced feelings they had were pride and sadness. They were proud of the young man for standing up as he did, and not backing down under pressure, but sad that the 16 year old before them was no longer a child. He had been forced to grow up much too quickly, and they wished there was something they could have done to prevent that.

Harry went on to describe all the events, minus a few things. He omitted his link with Voldemort, the fact that Sirius was there and a few other details that he thought might be Dept. of Mysteries secrets, like the flying brains. Most of the people present weren't sure what to think. That is, of course, until the Headmaster showed up.

The people who knew him could see the disappointment in his eyes at Harry's dealing with Fudge, but he got up on stage with Harry anyhow and much to the gatherings' surprise agreed with the testimony that the Boy-Who-Lived had provided. As if on cue, the press exploded with questions, that Harry did his best to answer. About 15 minutes later, he told them all that the press confrence was now over and, after fighting off a rather persistent Rita Skeeter, Harry left the stage and went into the store. He entered alone, and mentally prepared himself for the more difficult line of questioning that was about the take place as he heard the door open and the Weasleys enter.

* * *

After a long discussion with the Weasleys, two things had been accomplished. 

First: They finally understood what Harry had done, and though they might not agree with him, why he had done it. They agreed to stand with him, and they were taken aback that Harry thought they wouldn't. Mr. Weasley pointed out that that's what families do to which Mrs. and all the other Weasleys' agreed. Harry was surprised at their confession, but welcomed it with a round of hugs.

Second: Harry had a massive headache.

Their argument, turned debate, turned conversation lasted a good couple of hours. Dumbledore hadn't even come in with the Weasleys, having told them that he would talk with Harry about it later. Harry smiled at the thought that the Headmaster probably realized what would happen, and decided to save himself the pain of having to listen to it.

After saying goodbye to his housemates and the rest of his friends, Harry flashed over to Aurors' headquarters where he filed official complaints against the Minister and set up court dates before flashing over to Hogwarts.

He arrived outside the Headmasters door, and knocked.

"Come in Harry" said the voice of the headmaster

Harry opened the door and entered the office. He was getting used to the fact that Dumbledore always seemed to know who was outside his door and so he didn't let it bother him (though he was still curious at how the Headmaster accomplished it.)

"Welcome Harry, lemon drop?" he asked as he held out a small brown paper bag to his guest.

Harry accepted, and popped one in his mouth.

Dumbledore's eyes lost a bit of their twinkle. "Harry, I must ask why you felt the need to publicly humiliate the Minister of Magic, and then have him arrested for violating laws that are rarely even observed anymore."

"Sir," he started "A lot of different things. The major reasons are that first of all, he is an incompetent leader who has done more to aid in Voldemort's return to power and ability to recruit than to hinder it. His silence over the last year gave that snake enough time to become comfortable enough in his powers to attempt what he did at the ministry.

"The second reason is that he is too weak and easily manipulated by whoever has money. Granted, we could probably use that to our advantage, but so could Tom. I would rather have someone solid in that office one way or the other so that I know exactly where I stand in my dealings with him."

"I understand, but you must understand that this is going to cause much chaos and unrest among the people."

"Then, is it not the Wizengamot's job to assume control of the ministry and appoint an interim minister in times of war when the current minister is, for whatever reason, incapable of fulfilling his or her obligations?" recited Harry as if reading it out of a book.

"I see you have been doing your homework. Yes, that is so. A majority vote must be taken, and a new interim minister will be elected until the conclusion of the war."

"Excellent." said Harry with a smile. "Then you should have no trouble getting a majority for someone competent. Who do you have in mind? And don't tell me 'no one'. I know that you've been thinking about nothing else since you left the press conference. And if I'm not mistaken, you've probably already contacted several members of the Wizengamot and informed them to be ready."

Albus chuckled "You know me too well my boy. But as for who I have in mind, I cannot discuss it."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"Well then. I assume you are here to swim in my lake?"

Realizing that the previous conversation was closed, and thankful for it, Harry answered, "Yes, and thank you again for allowing me to do so."

"No need to thank me Harry. I do what I can to help in the educational advancement of my students." he said, eyes twinkling.

Harry removed his Potter Robe, leaving only his robe of Gryffindor on. The pocket the cube was in was magically sealed so that water could not enter, and though he doubted it could be damaged by water anyways, he didn't want to take the chance. "Would you mind looking after this please?" he asked as he handed Albus his robe.

"Enjoy your time with the merpeople, and please, do try not to get their leader deposed." asked the headmaster mockingly.

"I'll try." chuckled Harry and with that he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and relaxed to more thoroughly enjoy his lemon drop, when he heard a voice from the other side of his office door. Looking down on his desk, something happened that had been happening far too frequently for the headmaster's liking as of late, he was surprised.

He lifted his head and responded, "Come in." as he moved some parchment to cover his desk.

Through the door the ghostly shape of a young teenage girl floated in.

"I must say this is a surprise," said the Headmaster as he addressed the ghost "How might I be of service to you Miss Lovegood?"

* * *

**AN:** WOO HOO I finally hit the 100 000 word mark :) this makes Farfumsane happy. Ok, I had to try that flashback thing at least once in my fic...now that I've gotten it out of my system, I don't ever have to use it again...much like that POV changing chapter I got a lot of flack for. ;) I just wanted to try it once.

I'd like to thank all my reviewers, your encouragement is very much appreciated. **Tmctflyboy, chaser1, yo-yo55d, mohit****, alen**, **Rkhiara, White Merlin, murdax, Tanydwr****, Ava Monroe, Silver Warrior, TankerMDK****, loopy dane****, FantasyKing****, Nightwing509, Fairytale-princess-504****, shadow's rain, captuniv, **and **Malach.** Please continue reviewing. I like to read them.

And a big thank you to **ChickADee** who proof read and edited this chapter for me.

Farfumsane.


	21. Hogwarts' Express

**Disclaimer: **Wow. It's becoming more and more difficult to find new ways of telling people that I don't own these things, and that I'm not making any money off of someone else's ideas. Oh...I guess I just did it :) Enjoy.

**Chapter 20: Hogwarts' Express And One Less Secret**

After assuring Mrs. Weasley that they would, in fact, try to stay out of trouble, the trio made their way to the train. Ginny had slipped out of the group earlier when she noticed some of the DA getting on, saying a quick goodbye to her mom and running off.

As they were getting on the train, Harry, appearing as his regular self, noticed that Hermione was looking rather agitated and nervous about something. He chalked it up to returning to school, but decided that he'd ask her about it after they had found a compartment.

They finally found Neville, Ginny and Susan Bones in one of them and so joined them there. Ginny and Susan had been whispering and giggling but stopped abruptly when they noticed that the trio had entered. Harry gave a questioning look at Neville who just shrugged in response. Harry took the seat next to Susan across from the other two occupants as Ron and Hermione said their goodbyes and headed off to the prefects' car.

"So Harry, how did your tests go at the ministry?" inquired Susan.

"Quite good actually. I ended up getting an O in all three. Which is nice, even though they don't count towards my total OWLs achieved." Harry explained.

"Why not?" asked Ginny.

"It's because they don't want everyone to do them that late in the year. The only reason they even offer it is for students who messed up the first time, or those like myself who wanted to get the requirements for the corresponding NEWTs."

"Then why did you take the Muggle Studies one? You planning on taking that at the NEWT level?" asked Susan.

"I took that one for four reasons actually. First, I was thinking I might if I needed an easy course to round out my NEWTs, which I wont be needing now. Second, because I wanted to know how much stuff I actually knew about how wizards see muggles which is apparently enough to pass the OWL without cracking a book. Third, I might decide to take the exam at the end of my seventh year just to see if I'll pass because you don't actually _need_ to take the course in order to write the exam since they are technically government tests and not school ones. And the fourth reason is that I have a really good friend of mine who's taking muggle studies at the OWL level this year, and I wanted to be able to let her know what to expect." he explained as he smiled at Ginny, who returned it with a thank you.

"What classes are you taking then?" asked Susan.

"I have 8 that I'm signed up for, which is the maximum, though I wont be staying in all of them. Right now I have Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Arithmacy, Runes, CoMC, DADA and Herbology." Everyone was surprised at Harry's course load. Most people took 5 or 6 tops since they'd be writing NEWTs for them at the end of the year, but this many was just...suicide. "I'll also be going to the new dueling club that will be announced at the opening feast. But like I said, I'll definitely be dropping one or two. Especially since my ban on Quiddich was lifted." he added with a smile. He had already decided on which ones he'd be dropping, how and when for that matter too. And boy, was he looking forward to it.

Susan pouted, and in mock anger said "There's no way Hufflepuff will win this year then. It's not fair!" but she was soon smiling along with everyone else.

"What about the DA Harry? When are we going to find time to do that?" asked a concerned Neville.

"Sorry Nev, but we're not gonna be continuing the DA this year."

"WHAT? Why not?" yelled a surprised Susan, as she threw her hands up in the air.

Neville just sat speechless and he appeared to deflate slightly, looking a little gloomy. Even Ginny seemed disheartened, even though she had known all this before.

"I'm sorry guys. Dumbledore asked me to discontinue it since he says that he got a really good DADA professor and is starting a dueling club. He wanted me to support that with my full attention." Seeing that this wasn't doing anything to return his friends to their former good spirits he added, "Ok, I have an idea. If any of you start to have problems with the things we're doing in DADA or in Dueling, we can get together for extra help, like a study group. Is that an ok compromise?" he asked tentatively, waiting for a response.

They all seemed to cheer up a bit, and Neville answered for them "Ya, I guess that'll do. But I will miss spending time with everyone. Don't get me wrong Har, the spells were good and the other stuff too, but it was just nice to spend time with people from different houses outside of class." Susan nodded in agreement.

"If you put it that way, maybe we can have DA reunions every now and then, just to hang out and spend time together. Maybe find some sort of DA common room or something. I'll see what I can do." Harry suggested.

"That's a great idea Harry, thanks. We should use the coins to call a meeting the first week back though and tell everyone exactly what's going on." suggested Ginny.

"Do you think everyone still has theirs?"

"I got mine," said Neville, patting his pocket.

"Me too" said Susan reaching into her robes to remove it from an inside pocket. "Besides, if they didn't keep it, then I doubt they'll care about what we do with the DA anyways."

"Good point. Ok, I'll call a meeting for sometime this week."

The four friends went on to discuss their summers and happenings. Susan tried to make a big deal about that new Sorcerer who took out those Death Eaters in Diagon Alley, but the other three didn't seem to interested in the topic. Harry had visited Neville again after his time in the lake, and told him everything. He had even brought his manor with him, and gave Neville a tour. During the rest of the summer, Harry had made a couple more visits to Diagon Alley in the guise of the Heir of Gryffindor. He found that it helped people feel safe, and if his mere appearance could do that, he didn't mind popping in every now and then. He never spoke to anyone, only nodded in acknowledgment when someone thanked him, and refused interviews. If he saw a camera, he left immediately, as such, not many pictures had been taken of him, but the few that had, had found their way into every paper in wizarding Europe. Susan was more then happy to show them the scrapbook she had been keeping on the matter, much to Harry's amusement.

They also talked quite a bit about Harry's press conference. Every periodical in Wizarding England had commented on it in some form or another. 'Around the Cauldron' had said he was spoiled child, and should act his age and leave the politics of the world to grown ups and 'Ministry Monthly' had accused him of acting like an self centered brat who had just been told he couldn't have a candy before dinner. Neither of these came as much of a surprise to Harry, since he knew that Fudge was the primary financial backer of both. All the others had pretty much seen it for what it was: Someone finally stepping up to a corrupt government who had been lying to the voters and using every means at his disposal to end it. In this case, Harry had used his fame, and Dumbledore's support to bring the Fudge administration crashing down. He admitted that he might have been able to handle it better, but it had been so much fun to yell at the minister, and to see the look of exasperation on his face.

The Dailey Prophet wrote a huge four page article detailing everything Harry had said, and every accusation that he had leveled against the current government, and Fudge in particular. The Quibbler also had a large article, and interviews with many dead political analysts, who had been dead for quite some years, through people claiming to be channelers of their spirits and also an exclusive with what Elvis had to say on the matter. The picture of Fudge looking like a goblin had been used in another one of their stories, entitled "You are what you eat" referring back to their earlier accusations of Fudge and his penchant for goblin pies.

Even though the matter was still in the courts, Fudge had received a vote of no confidence, and had been removed from office. The Wizengamot had temporarily appointed Emmeline Vance, head of the unspeakables and secret member of the Order of the phoenix, as acting minister. She would remain in the position until the war was over.

Much to Ginny and Neville's surprise, there was a great deal of flirting between Susan and Harry as well. After a little while, Susan excused herself to go visit with some people from her house, but said she'd try to get back before they got to the station. Neville also left, saying he wanted to see if Seamus was there, something about a football game he had gone to see with a muggle friend of his grandmother's that summer.

"So, Harry, Susan seems nice. Don't you think?" asked a grinning Ginny. "I know she finds you particularly attractive."

'At least I know what they were talking about before I got here. I wonder what boy Ginny was thinking about.' he thought to himself. He noticed, at that moment, that Ginny seemed to get a little embarrassed, but quickly returned to her grin. Now it was Harry's turn to smile. He had an idea.

"She does seem nice. I think I might have to look into getting to know her better." he said before going to pick up the book Neville had put down before leaving.

Ginny assumed the conversation over, so she too went back to her reading. Noticing that she was no longer paying attention, Harry decided to enact his plan.

'Ginny?' he thought while looking at her.

"Ya?" she said as she looked up to see a madly grinning Harry. Then it hit her: he hadn't actually said anything.

"I knew it!" he whispered with conviction.

Before either of them could discuss this revelation, the door opened and in stormed Ron, followed by a concerned looking, babbling Hermione.

"Ron, I'm sooooo sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like that..." but he cut her off.

"Didn't mean to make it _sound_ like that? How can you say 'I never thought you intelligent enough to come up with something like that' in a _good_ way?" he asked, more disappointed then angry.

"I...I meant..." she sputtered before the tears came to her eyes in full force. "I'm so sorry Ron. I'm terrible. I'm just gonna..." her voice tapered off as she turned to leave. But before she could walk out the door, a hand caught her arm and turned her around slowly.

Ron was now standing right in front of her, her wet cheeks could feel the warmth of his breathe as he exhaled.

"Hermione," he said softly, with no anger left in his voice, "please stop crying. I know you didn't mean it like that, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. And leaving isn't gonna make me feel any better. Just like Harry," he said as he nodded his head to the side to acknowledge Harry's presence, "you're stuck with me. I just ask that you think before you speak sometimes. For the smartest witch in Hogwarts, you can say some pretty stupid things."

Hermione didn't know whether she should be angry at his comment or embarrassed by the truth of it. To be honest, she was having a hard time thinking at all, as she looked up through teary eyes into the eyes of the gorgeous...

She gave herself a mental shake, broke eye contact and stepped away from Ron with a small smile on her lips. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve as she muttered a thank you and another sorry. Ron had changed a LOT over the summer. She wasn't sure how or why, but the change was more then a little obvious, and not just the physical one.

He had come up with a good idea in the Prefects meeting for a standardized point penalty system. That way prefects could penalize other students responsibly, while at the same time minimizing the possibility for dishonest prefects to abuse their position. His proposition also suggested that the Head boy and girl get more power over the prefects, allowing them to remove points from a prefect when they abused their position, or even to overrule a prefect's decision if thought to be unjust, but only if both Head boy and girl agreed and got approval for this ruling from one of the head's of house. This new Ron was something she was still getting used to and she still wasn't sure how to act around him.

Ron smiled too and told her she was forgiven as he took a seat next to Harry. Hermione sat down next to Ginny just as the door opened again.

"Anything from the trolley dears?"

"YA!" exclaimed Ron, "I'll take 25 chocolate frogs!"

The others looked at him in shock, and with a little bit of disgust. "What? They have a special series out now commemorating the fall of evil wizards. I'm just missing 3 out of the possible 50 to finish the set." Seeing that this wasn't doing much to change his friends' facial expressions he added "but they're a limited edition!"

Ron got the frogs, regardless of his friends' reactions, and Harry too bought a good amount off the trolley to share with everyone. He even grabbed a chocolate rose for Susan, though he wandlessly shrunk it and slipped it in his pocket before returning to the compartment so the others wouldn't see it.

As they waded through the many sweets, a good number of DA members dropped by to say hello. Ron was true to his word, and only ate about 5 of the frogs, but managed to slip the cards out of the others and saving the chocolate for later. He had spent the last week before going back working at the twins' store. This earned him a bit of cash, so the frogs weren't as big a financial strain as they would have been even the year before.

Ron looked over at the card in Harry's hand, "Who's that?"

"It says here that the guys name is Medwin Blaz Reinblut. He was, along with Albus Percival Dumbledore, one of the major strategist and planner in the war against Grindewald. It was his calculations and planning that resulted in the trap that finally forced Grindewald to face off against Dumbledore. He was praised as a hero after the war, but disappeared shortly after failing to win the election for Minister of magic. He has not been heard from since. Author of the book 'How evil falls: The weaknesses in thinking yourself indestructible.' which was blacklisted and declared illegal for fear that it would give dark wizards too much information as to how to avoid being defeated, he is rumoured to be living in seclusion somewhere as a hermit."

"Whoa! That's one of the ones I need! You wouldn't want to trade me for him would ya Harry?" asked Ron hopefully.

"That all depends Ron," he responded with a grin "What're ya willing to trade for him?"

Ron smiled confidently. "How bout this one?" he said as he handed the card to Harry, who read it with a look of surprise on his face.

There, on the card looking back at him was...himself? He read absently, "Harry James Potter, A.K.A. The-Boy-Who-Lived. Harry Potter was solely responsible for the first fall of the great dark wizard 'He-who-must-not-be-named' over a decade ago. This child was only a year and a half old when the Dark Lord tried to kill him with a killing curse, only to have it reflect back on himself, successfully ending his reign of terror. To this day, no one knows exactly why this happened. Harry Potter is the most recent to fell a dark wizard, and has since evaded this same dark wizard twice since his resurrection. Grandson of John Potter (#34 of the dark wizard slayer series), he is the youngest, and possibly most inspiring of all the wizards in this series earning him the rank of number one." Harry was...well...he didn't know exactly how he was, "I don't believe it!" he whispered.

"I know!" snorted Ron, "They can't even WRITE his name. How pathetic!" Everyone laughed at Ron's obvious attempt to lighten Harry's mood, and it actually worked.

Harry smiled, but then with a grin replied, "I already know _this_ guy. You'll have to do better then that if you want my card, Weasley."

"Does that mean you don't want this one either then?" Ron asked as he handed him another.

Harry smiled, and then read the name aloud for the benefit over every one else there, "John Potter." Harry handed him Reinblut's card keeping both his AND his Grandfather's as payment. Ron thought it a fair trade.

"Besides, I already have 2 of John, and I had 5 of you, but I think Ginny stole them and taped them to the wall beside her bed." he said with a wink to Harry, who laughed.

Ginny just snorted, "In your dreams Potter! Besides, I've already seen you naked, and wasn't overly impressed." she said, in reference to the Tonks gag that backfired. Having heard the story from Harry during one of their flights around the park, Ron let out a howl of laughter. Not having heard the story, Hermione just stared at Harry in shock. Harry turned a gorgeous shade of crimson, and decided that the quickly moving scenery outside the window was much more interesting then the conversation in here, which caused Ginny to start giggling too, as she tried to explain to Hermione what actually happened. Ron was having problems breathing now, but it was all worth it.

Eventually the laughing ceased, and Neville returned.

They talked for a bit more about the new DADA professor and who he or she might be, also wondering if there would be any other new staff this year. Ron and Ginny shared a knowing smile when this topic came up, but no one else noticed.

"Hermione?" started Harry "what's up? You don't seem yourself today. Somethin' wrong?"

"Well...you see...I need to tell you guys something before we gat back to school." she said, looking around nervously, "but I don't know how you're gonna react when I tell you." she added, almost worried.

"Hermione, didn't you hear me earlier? You're stuck with me, and lets face it," said Ron with forced arrogance, and a Lockhart smile "Wherever I go, these three follow." She cracked a smile at this, and some of her nerves left her.

"You just wait Ron." warned Harry, "You want a following? You'll have one. I promise you that." he said, with a mischievous smirk.

"Oh no you don't! I know that look!" said Hermione "That's the same look you gave me right before we sat down in those charmed chairs that took off flying and recreated a famous dog fight from WW2." she said in reference to one of his earlier pranks at the Manor. "My knuckles STILL hurt from holding on to that chair so hard so that I wouldn't fall off."

"But Hermione, I had safety bars appear on them." he said in mock defense.

"You do know why they put safety bars on roller coasters don't you Harry? It's cause THEY'RE NOT SAFE!" she said pointing a menacing finger in Harry's direction.

Everyone started laughing at that.

"It's ok Hermione, besides, this one's _JUST_ for Ron." he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Anyways," interjected Neville "We don't want to interrupt you...again. What Ron said, well, most of it anyways, goes for all of us. We'll stick with you no matter what. So what is it you need to tell us?"

"Ok, you see, we're gonna be getting some new students..." started Hermione before being cut off.

"Who? And how do you kn..."

"RON!" the other three yelled.

"Sorry, you were saying Hermione?" he said with an apologetic look on his face.

"I was saying, that we are getting new students. Do you and Harry remember the night Ginny came to the manor?" They nodded. "Well, what I was trying to tell you that night, is that I not only know them, but I'm..." but she was again interrupted, this time by the door opening.

"Well, well, well what do we have here? Potty and a bunch of the members from his Dork Association." drawled Draco Malfoy who had entered with Pansy at his side, and Crab and Goyle standing menacingly behind him.

"Buzz off Malfoy, we were trying to have a civilized conversation." said Ron, who was remaining surprisingly calm, before he turned to face his friends again.

Draco's anger flared that the Weasel had DARED to turn his back on him, but he calmed himself, after all, he only had to distract them for a few more minutes. "What's the matter Weasel? Been taking lessons from Longbottom? Too chicken to stand up for yourself?" he mocked, much to the amusement of his arm candy, and two thugs.

Harry put his hand on Ron's shoulder and stepped passed him. All of the friends had stood up when they saw it was Malfoy, they had a feeling trouble would be close behind, and they didn't want to be caught napping when it happened.

"Tell me Malfoy, does it hurt?" Harry asked in all seriousness.

"Does what hurt, scar head?" he spat out in frustration. He didn't know where Potter was going with this, but he was sure he wouldn't like it.

"When Voldemort (Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle flinched) casts the Cruciatus Curse on you for failing him."

"I wouldn't know." Draco said with a smile.

"Why's that? Is it because you haven't joined him, or haven't failed him...yet." asked Neville with a sneer of disgust.

"If it were you FATbottom, I would have to say that it was because you hadn't joined him, since I know for a fact you'd never be able to accomplish anything the Dark Lord asked of you, since you're so weak. But as for me, I guess you'll just have to guess."

As he finished, he felt the tip of a wand under his nose. He hadn't seen Potter draw it, but there was no denying his senses.

"It would seem that we have over stayed our welcome." said Draco with a calm cool tone as he backed away through the door. "Until next time, Potter." he said evenly, throwing them a confident smile as the door closed.

"That was odd." said Harry.

"I know, Ron I'm so proud of you for not exploding." exclaimed a happy and proud Hermione.

"That's not what he meant Hermione." Ron said, and then, turning to Harry, he agreed, "You're right, that was very odd. I've never seen him that confident and sure of himself before."

"Especially with a wand pointed at him. He didn't even _look_ scared. That's not a good sign."

As if on cue, the train began breaking abruptly, causing everyone to be thrown up against he wall of the cabin. Ginny seemed dazed, but Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville were up in a flash.

"You guys stay here, I'm gonna go find out what that was." ordered Harry.

"Bugger that!" exclaimed Ron, "You're not going anywhere without us, mate. Don't even try it."

"Fine, but stay close."

Harry peaked out the door, seeing no one on the left, he slipped out with Ron and Hermione close behind him and started making their way to the front of the train.

Suddenly, Harry saw a bolt of red light out of the corner of his eye, causing Ron to drop. He whipped around just in time to see another bolt hit Hermione, who then dropped too. Before Harry could even react, Neville had jumped out of the room and began firing curses down the hall. Harry was impressed at the courage that had manifested itself in his friend over the summer, and he promised himself to talk to Neville about it later to find out where it all came from.

They saw a form move down the hall and Neville chased after it before Harry could stop him.

Making a quick decision, Harry checked both Hermione and Ron for a pulse, finding one, and thanking God they were still alive, he levitated them back into the compartment. Ginny, who was now standing, saw her brother's and Hermione's bodies floating in, but also saw the look on Harry's face and was calmed instantly. They were alive.

"Stay here with these two and make sure no one gets them." he said as he made his way out the room.

"Like hell!" the redhead exclaimed as she followed him out with her wand out and magically locked the door behind him.

"Fine, but be careful, and keep close." He was about to follow down the hall that Neville took when he heard a massive explosion coming from the other direction. Cursing his luck, he ran to find out what had happened.

A couple of cars ahead, he saw that a big chunk of the car had been blown to shreds. There were several bodies lying around, unfortunately all of them were students. Most of them were moving, but two of them weren't so herushed over. Lying there, battered and torn was Colin Creevy and another young boy, whom he assumed was a first year since he didn't recognise him and he didn't have a house symbol on his robe either. Finding a pulse, he motioned Ginny over and then quickly did a couple of spells to partially close the wounds and reduce the pain of both students. He was by no means a healer and hadn't put much work into that aspect of magic this past summer, but he did what he could.

"Ginny, get him back to the cabin with your brother and Hermione. Try to enervate them," he said, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of that before, "and then try to help everyone who is injured, and patch them up. Hermione's been studying healing. The other boy will be ok, but she'll be Colin's only hope. I can't do any more for him." The other boy had been bleeding more then Colin, but his wounds had been straightforward and external. Colin, on the other hand, was bruised severely, and was obviously bleeding internally.

"Where are _you_ going?" she asked, more then a little scared.

"To stop the ones who did this. Keep them safe. I'll be back."

Ginny nodded, and began casting the spell to levitate Colin back to the compartment, as Harry morphed into his kneazle form and stealthfully slipped outside through the large hole that now decorated the side of the passenger car.

Harry looked around quickly and saw the battle waging. He was about to go to the aid of a young girl wrestling with a hooded figure a little ways down, only to realize who it was:Sally-Ann Perks. He watched as she fought off the death Eater. As he crept closer he heard her yell "NO! I told you that last time too. I will NOT serve _him_. Leave me alone!" Then she sent a swift kick to the groin of the Deatheater, causing Harry to flinch despite the fact of who had been hurt, allowing her to break free and run back into the train.

He quickly morphed back into Harry and sent a stunner at the man who was trying to chase after her.

He continued down the side of the train to where more people were fighting. He saw Susan send off a couple of stunners, and joined in from where he was, about five meters away, and sent them in the same direction she was as he tried to make his way closer. He heard spells being cast all around him, "_CRUCIO_" "_REDUCTO_" "**AVADA KEDAVRA**!"

Harry saw the green ray heading towards Susan who had frozen in her place. Despite the training she had received in the DA, nothing can ever totally prepare you for the real thing.

Thinking quickly he yelled "_ACCIO SUSAN_"

The green bolt just barely missed her as she was pulled to him. Catching her he immediately rolled away, with her in his arms, as 2 stunners hit theside of the carwhere he had been standing. He quickly hopped inside the open door with Susan in his arms and threw up a shield.

Susan was weeping uncontrollably, bruised and had several cuts. "Are you ok?" he asked the crying girl that he was still holding in his arms.

She looked up at Harry through her teary eyes and nodded slightly. He was holding on to her with his left arm, and his right arm was outstretched and holding the shield in place with his wand. Harry had decided to use his wand for this battle, not wanting whatever advantage he had next time he faced Voldemort to be taken away from him.

Relieved that she was safe in Harry's arms, she clung to him tightly.

"Susan," he said with a compassionate, but authoritative voice, "I need to get back out there. I'll come and check on you afterwards, but I need you to make your way back to the compartment I was in. Hermione and Ginny should be treating wounded there, and they need help. I'll go there as soon as everything is taken care of."

She nodded and began to separate from him, but before getting up, she kissed Harry on the lips and whispered, "Thank you."

He had been surprised slightly by this, but fortunately was able to keep his concentration on the shield as two more jets of red light hit the invisible barrier. He smiled genuinely, "Susan, you have to go now. I'll be back as soon as I can."

She nodded again, got up and left. This allowed Harry to focus on the fight outside again. Before he could get out into the fight, he heard a voice from beside him yell '_CRUCIO_'. Harry was instantly hit with immense pain. Trying to push the pain out of his mind was useless. Even the best occlumens in the world couldn't do it, so what hope did he, someone with barely an above average working knowledge of the subject hope to accomplish that. It might not have dulled the pain but it did help him focus more clearly when the assailant had finished. It was then that he caught a reflection of sliver behind the wand of his adversary.

Before Wormtail could cast another spell, Harry sent off a flurry of crippling curses. He hit with the bone breaker, the full body bind, and a severing curse. Wormtail stood rigid, and blood began to pour freely from where his silver hand _used_ to be, his left shoulder was clearly shattered, and he had silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

Harry cast a flame spell at his stump to cauterize the wound. Wormtail passed out because of the pain, but Harry didn't care. As long he didn't die, Harry could care less how uncomfortable he was. Harry then cast a spell he had read about while looking up information regarding becoming an Animagus. This spell forced an Animagus into his form, and he stayed that way until the caster released him, or died.

Picking up the pathetic rat, Harry placed him in his pocket. He then shrunk the silver hand and placed it in another one, planning on taking a closer look at it at a later time.

Looking around now, he noticed that there were no students outside, and that the Deatheaters were trying to make their way onto the train but with little success. Various members of the DA were positioned at different doors effectively keeping the Deatheaters from getting too close.

He quickly downed one of the potions that he carried in his belt that reduced the after effects of the Cruciatus, before jumping out the door and starting to shoot stunners and body binds at them. He was able to drop four of them before the others noticed him but then, as another four focused on Harry, one of the other Death Eaters revived the four he had felled.

'Well this sucks.' he thought to himself. 'Time to start using my wandless stunners.' He continued pointing his wand at them, but shot the spell out through his fingers instead, making it look like he was still using his wand. It was a ploy he had been working on over the last week of the summer. This would allow him to cast wandless spells in a situation where a wandless spell was needed, but still keeping his identity as a Sorcerer concealed.

He dropped two of the four that were trying to keep him busy, and had successfully dodge all the others, but now more had been appearing.

As he was casting his ancient stunners with his wand hand as he did his best to dodge their spells. He thought they had really bad aim, until he realized that he was now a full six meters away from the train, and they were starting to surround him.

A quick count revealed four fallen hooded figures, who they hadn't been able to revive, and 8 others closing in on him from all angles. He got hit a couple of times with bludgeoning curses, luckily the Robe of Gryffindor that he had made look like a school robe had absorbed most of the damage. His Metamorphmagus abilities would be able to take care of the subsequent bruising as soon as he had 5 minutes to concentrate on his injuries, unfortunately now was not the time, and the bruises just increased in number.

He dropped another opponent, and cast multiple 'Serpensortia' spells. He had them attack the Death Eaters anyway they knew how. Unfortunately, his slithering friends were all taken care of quickly, and they had only managed to drop one robed figure before they were killed. Soon after, another two Death Eaters finally succumbed to his wandless stunners, but there were still four surrounding him. But his movements were slowing significantly, and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep this pace.

"Awww, is poor ickle potty starting to get tired?" a woman's voice cooed from the group followed by the same blood freezing laugh that he had heard as his godfather was sent through the veil.

It was during that short moment of surprise, as he recognised the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange taunting him, that he lost focus long enough for two spells to slip past his defenses.

The first slicing curse caught him in his right ankle, practically severing his foot. This caused him to stumble a bit, and his robes flew open allowing the second cutting curse to hit him in the lower right abdomen. He was in incredible pain and so couldn't concentrate on much of anything, including flashing, or healing himself. He clutched at his side as he lay on the ground, slightly propped up by a large rock at his back.

"Well, well, well, ickle Harrikins has finally fallen. You did much better then that mutt of a godfather of yours. What a waste he was." she cackled.

Harry gritted his teeth and tried to raise his wand.

"Oh no you don't, _CURCIO_." she cried.

Harry was instantly reeling in pain. This curse felt a million times more powerful then Wormtail's and it was all he could do not to scream out in anguish. He refused to give her the satisfaction.

"You're a stubborn brat." she said as she smiled seductively. "You're strong, but I'll make you scream. I always make them scream." It was obvious that she found this kind of thing erotically exciting, which did more to disgust Harry than the broken bodies of his fallen fellow students. How anyone could find the suffering of another pleasurable was something that he would never understand.

Harry tried to muster up the strength to spit out some sort of cliché like 'not in a million years' or 'go to hell bitch' but he couldn't. His pain ridden body was fighting hard to respond to even the simplest of instructions, like breathing. Something as complex as speech was not going to be accomplished anytime soon.

"But not here. I think my master would like to be there when you're broken. Yes, I think he would enjoy that very..." and that's all she got out before she was thrown forward having been hit from behind by something.

The remaining Death Eaters had been so engrossed in the capture and torture of Harry Potter,that they didn't notice the seven students walking towards them until each one of them was hit by a spell.

Harry looked up to see Neville leading the way, and 3 members of the DA flanking him on either side. After the Death Eaters had fallen, Susan ran up to Harry to see if he was ok. Seeing how hurt he was she held back her tears, promptly fell to her knees by his side, and tried to apply pressure to the wound in his abdomen.

Neville looked down at Harry and started taking action. "Justin! Dean! Go back to the train and get Hermione. Tell her it's Harry, and tell her to hurry. Hannah, I want you to..." But that's all Harry heard before succumbing to the sweet embrace of darkness.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks to my reviewers: **Ubetiburn****, hp fan 30, chaser1 **(congrats on being reviewer #400, and thanks)**, mohit, Murdax, Fairtale-princess,** **Tmctflyboy, Jack-A-Roe**, **donna ficfan, Life Love Sanity** **, Tanydwr, yo-yo55d, captuniv, Kyle Brofloyski, Ava Monroe****, TankerMDK, nonjon****, Nessa Fefalas, Nightwing 509.**

A big thank you to my proof readers/editors **ChickA.Dee** and **HJP**

Farfumsane.


	22. The Feast

**Disclaimer:** J. K. Rowling is the true Witch and creator of this world in which I am writing, I am but a humble muggle, trying to pull my own rabbit out of her hat.

**Chapter 21: The Feast and Secrets Revealed.**

Harry awoke to see Hermione looming over him with her wand pointed at him. He was still in pain, but not as much. He could tell that his major wounds had been closed, but he was far from healed. Seeing that his eyes were opening she managed a small forced smile.

"It's good to have you back Harry." But then her face fell. "We have a problem. We have a lot of bad injuries, and they're not gonna last much longer. None of the professors have gotten here yet. I hate to ask you this since you're still so weak, but I need some of your form's tears to do some emergency healing."

Looking around, he noticed he was in a room with only Hermione, so he transformed into his phoenix form and cried as many tears as possible into a small glass vial that Hermione was holding.

"Thanks Harry. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't move too much. I closed your wounds but you've still lost a lot of blood, and you're way to weak to start running around." she said before she left the room.

After she left, he closed his eyes and concentrated on how his body felt. Within five minutes, all of his bruises were gone, he had healed all of the smaller cuts on his body and he had also reinforced the healing around his large wounds thanks to his metamorphmagus abilities. He opened his eyes to see Ron standing in from of him.

"What happened to the conductor and Aurors, Ron?"

"After securing the Death Eaters, we did a full train search. The conductor was dead and so were both Aurors. The conductor appeared to have put up a fight, as there were spell blasts on the wall near the door. The Aurors, on the other hand, seemed to have been taken out by surprise and killed in their chairs. Two of their wands are still missing, but one was left on the floor of the Aurors' quarters."

"How much do you want to bet that the last three spells out of that wand were the killing curse?" asked Harry.

Ron just nodded, and then continued with his report. "There are seven students who are severely injured,32 others who are seriously injured, but not life threatening."

"How many dead?" this was more a demand then a question.

"The conductor, both Aurors,and...no students." he said both sadly yet releived.

"None! But I saw so many bodies as I was running around." Harry said in surprise but still sad that the three adults had been killed.

"They were only injured, and unconscious." he agreed nodding, "Hermione and Susanwere able to get tothe worse ones in time with the help of the DA and are currentlystill dealing with the wounded. It appears that once you made your presence known, all the Deatheaters came after you, leaving all the train alone. They weren't expecting s a group to come and get you, so Neville was easily able to sneak up on them with the others." explained Ron.

"I put Ginny in charge of a group guarding the unconscious prisoners, and the rest of the D.A. are under Neville's supervision, patrolling the train looking for more injured, and making sure we didn't miss any Deatheaters." he explained. His face seemed to harden before speaking again, "Another issue is that the Slytherins have taken over the back three cars, and sealed them. Apparently this happened before the attack. One of the third year Hufflepuffs told me that they were trying to get back to their cabin after being lied to by an older year Slytherin that told them there were house meetings in the front cars."

"So this was an inside job." stated Harry.

Just then, a small second year Gryffindor knocked on the open door.

"Yes?" asked Ron, as Harry slowly attempted to stand.

"The teachers are here sir. Neville sent me to come and get you." the boy explained.

"Thank you. Tell them that we're on our way." replied Ron.

The boy nodded, and left.

"Sir?" Harry asked with an amused look on his face.

"Don't ask." said an exasperated Ron, "With you out of commission, and Hermione helping the wounded, everyone was coming to me and asking what they should do. Apparently they thought that as the only member of the trio not busy or unconscious that I was in charge. Heck, even Cho was waiting for me to tell her what to do, and she's Head Girl this year." he explained.

"Really? Good for her." said Harry, before stumbling slightly and wincing at the pain in his ankle.

"You sure you're ok to go out there mate?" asked a concerned Ron.

"Ya, I'm fine." answered Harry as he reached into his belt and pulled out another potion to reduce the after effects of the Cruciatus. After drinking it, he said, "There we go. Much better."

* * *

Some of the teachers, including Madame Pomfrey, had run to the makeshift hospital car, while McGonagall took the others over to the Death Eaters that had been tied up by the DA. 

Harry slowly walked up to professor Dumbledore who was currently assessing the damage.

"Ah, Harry, it is good to see that you are alright." said the Headmaster, whose eyes were void of any twinkle. "What happened?"

"From what I've heard, sir, the conductor was killed, as were the two Aurors before the train even stopped. Since the two trained fighters were killed in their seats and didn't appear to have put up any struggle at all, it would appear that this was an inside job, and as the majority of Slytherin house had barricaded themselves in the last three cars before the train even started slowing down, I would say that my assumption is correct. This is what I have been told at any rate. I have not had a chance to investigate myself, but I trust the word of the ones who told me. As for what I witnessed first hand, I would ask that we wait until later, and in private, to explain that to you." said Harry as he made it obvious he was looking around to show that there were many ears close by.

"Of course, Harry. Our first priority is getting everyone to the castle. The train is too damaged to repair quickly, so I will be making portkeys for the students. You are welcome to go now and take your friends using your personal form of travel if you wish. We will talk more tonight after the feast." Dumbledore said before adding, "Tell your friends not to worry about their luggage. I will have some house elves come and collect it all very shortly and bring it to the castle."

Harry chuckled, "How 'bout I NOT tell Hermione. She'd have a fit if she heard that the house elves will have to do it on their own."

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

"Speak of the devil," muttered Harry, causing Ron and the Headmaster to chuckle.

"WHAT do you think you are doing up? You shouldn't be putting any weight on that ankle! I set it, and mended it, but you'll have to give the tendons some time to heal or you'll rip them all over again. As soon as the feast is done you're going to Madame Pomfrey and she's going to make sure you haven't injured yourself permanently!" ranted Hermione.

Rolling his eyes, Harry took out his wand and transfigured a nearby twig into a solid oak cane with a brass lion head handle, which he quickly leaned on to reduce the weight on his ankle.

"Is that better?" he asked with a smirk.

"Better then nothing." she mumbled, causing the Headmaster and Ron to chuckle anew.

Ginny and Neville appeared shortly and greeted Harry. Dumbledore excused himself and went off to begin making portkeys. Harry led them all inside and into an empty compartment. He told them all to grab his arm, and then he flashed them all to a secluded spot near the school gates.

* * *

As soon as they appeared, Harry felt the buzzing. Looking around, he searched for its source. 

"What's wrong Harry?" asked Hermione who had noticed his confused look.

"Don't you guys feel that?" he queried skeptically.

"Feel what?" inquired Ron.

"It's like a buzzing, almost a humming. It's not a bad thing, it's almost comforting, protectiv..." Harry's voice trailed off as he turned back towards the school. Putting his hands out, palms facing forward, he walked towards the gates of the school's property. As he got closer, his smile grew.

"Harry? What is it?" asked Neville as he drew his wand.

"It's the wards." Harry said, almost amazed, "I can feel the wards."

"You haven't been able to feel them before, have you?" asked Hermione.

"No, so I wonder why I do now, and also why you don't." he admitted.

"It could be a number of things. But since you didn't cast any revealing of magic spells then I'd guess that it's because your power has been increasing all summer."

"Then why didn't I feel anything at King's Cross? Or around Grimmauld Place?" inquired Harry.

"I don't know." she admitted.

"Could it be your cloak?" asked Ginny quietly from the back of the group.

"That's highly possible Gin." said Harry.

Then he took a few steps forward and crossed the wards. He face betrayed his surprise. "That was...amazing. It felt like I walked through a waterfall. A nice warm and welcoming waterfall." he explained with a smile.

The rest of them walked through the wards themselves, but no one else felt anything.

"I'll have to look into that later. I'll talk to Dumbledore about it tonight. There's no point in worrying about it right now. Let's get inside."

As they walked up to the castle, they could hear some of the carriages in the distance. Dumbledore had obviously started sending the students to school.

As they stepped through the large doors into the Entry Hall, Nearly Headless Nick floated in front of them. Seeing Harry he bowed deeply, "My Lord."

"Sir Nicolas?" asked Harry

"Yes my Lord?" inquired the ghost, still on bended knee.

"Rise, Sir Nicholas." He paused as Sir Nick got up. "Why are you calling me that? I'm no different then last year."

"But sir, you are. The castle herself has told us, and it is known now by all the castle inhabitants that The Heir of Gryffindor has returned. I'm sorry we did not notice it before now my Lord."

"Nick, stop that." interjected Harry, as his friends stood staring at him in confusion, and even a bit of awe. "I'm still Harry."

"Of course, my Lord." Sir Nick said with a slight smile and a nod of the head.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "Sir Nicolas, I have a job for you. It must be done quickly, and I trust you can accomplish it."

Nick straightened and awaited his instructions.

"You are to spread the word to all ghosts, portraits, suits of armour, elves, and every sentient creature in this castle that I am to be addressed as Harry, or Mister Potter. I cannot have my enemies know my true nature. You can also relay that any breaking of this rule will result in immediate discipline, by both myself and the headmaster. We cannot afford to lose any advantage we might possibly have in this war just to satisfy protocol. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Harry. I shall pass along the message right away." replied Nicolas before bowing and passing through the floor.

"AND NO MORE BOWING!" Harry yelled, hoping that he was heard.

"Harry...I never realized..." started Hermione in awe.

"I know Mione, I didn't think of it either. I just hope this works. The last think I need is for Malfoy to find out." Harry said, thinking out loud.

"I better do this myself. PEEVES!" he yelled. Suddenly the poltergeist appeared before him, apparently confused at how he was summoned against his will, then turning around, he noticed Harry. Then in an over emphasized, almost comical, act of reverence, he fell to his face rather dramatically.

"Get up Peeves." Peeves rose slowly, looking worried. "What are you worried about?" Harry asked him, looking confused.

"Peeves doesn't want to go sir. He is sorry for throwing water balloons on you and your friends." Harry suddenly realised that he had the ability to kick Peeves out, he could just ask the castle and it would be done. He didn't know how he knew this, but he did.

"Don't worry Peeves. I'm not kicking you out. Yet. I have a job for you. Two actually." Peeves then stood at attention, much like an army private before his drill sergeant. "First, you are never to refer to me as anything but Harry, potter, potty, or any variation you like on those words. I don't care if you make fun of me like that, but what I don't want is to be referred to as sir, boss, master or anything to do with being the Heir of Gryffindor, understood?" Peeves just nodded once. "Good, and second," then looking around at his friends, he changed his mind, and decided to tell Peeves about his true second task later "I want you to keep acting exactly the way you have been." Harry said with a smile.

"Thank you Potty. Peeves is pleased to serve." said the poltergeist with a wicked smile on his face.

"Good, but don't do anything tonight. There was an attack on the train, and many of the students are distraught, but tomorrow, you can do whatever you like." Peeves looked a little disappointed, but saluted anyways and disappeared.

"Harry! That's AWESOME!" said Ron, who was thoroughly impressed that his best friend had practically full control over the school.

"I know Ron, but I don't want things to change. I like them the way they are. Besides, no one can know who I really am, at least not yet. So I won't be using it...much." he said with a slight smirk just as a group of students entered the hall.

"Well?" started Neville "Let's get a seat."

OIOIOIO

Entering the Great Hall, Harry and his gang began to make their way to the Gryffindor table. Glancing up at the head table, he realized that most of the Professors hadn't yet returned. McGonagall was there, and so were the other heads of houses, and so was...

"Hey? What's Charlie doing here?" asked Harry while casting a sidelong glance at Ron, on the other side of the table, who was grinning.

"Surprise." says Ginny from behind him.

'Speaking of surprises, don't think I've forgotten what I discovered before we were interrupted on the train. We still have to talk about this.' thought Harry.

_Okay._ She sent back, just to let him know she heard him. She sounded a little worried. Harry wanted to let her know that he was happy that it was her and not someone like Pansy Parkinson in his head, but he thought he'd let her stew in her own juices for a bit. After all, this was payback for taunting him all summer.

Harry sat down in their usual area, with Ginny to his right, Neville on his left and Ron and Hermione across from them. Harry vanished his cane before getting comfortable and then looking up at his friend, he noticed something on Ron's robe.

"Ron, what's that?" he asked motioning to the pin.

Ron seemed to blush a little, almost afraid at Harry's reaction. "McGonagall asked me to be the captain of the quiddich team at the end of last year, right before the whole Umbridge incident. I was the longest standing member on the team that was staying since you were still suspended, but now I suppose she'll want you to do it now that you're back in the roster."

"She better not!" said a grinning Harry. "I have no idea how to lead a quiddich team. Besides, you're the strategist here. It just makes more sense."

Ron flashed him a grateful smile, "Thanks Har." Harry simply smiled in response.

"No problem mate." Harry assured him.

More students were now entering the hall. Harry watched as a group of Slytherins entered the Great Hall, and noticed that one of them whispered something into one of the girl's ears, and broke away from the group to make his way towards the Gryffindor table. The boy was in Harry's year, but he had never heard much about him. Blaise Zabini was an unknown. He didn't hang out with Malfoy, but at the same time, didn't stand up against him either. He seemed to be liked by a good number of Slytherins, but he didn't strut around like the blonde haired boy did. Blaise stopped right behind Harry.

"Potter?" said Blaise. His tone wasn't impolite, nor was it demanding in any way.

Harry turned to face the boy and responded, "Yes?"

"That first year you saved? He was my brother. He owes you his life and I give you my thanks." said the Slytherin as he offered Harry his hand.

Harry accepted it, and they shook hands briefly before Blaise broke the shake, gave a slight nod of his head, and went over to the Slytherin table and took his seat, leaving Harry to wonder where this might lead to in the future.

Eventually no more students seemed to be arriving. There weren't as many as last year, and every table seemed to have many holes. Whether it was because their parents' had forbidden them to come, or because they had been a casualty of this war, Harry didn't know. But he hoped it was the first reason.

Soon the doors opened and in walked the Headmaster with a small boy at his side. He bent down and spoke to the boy, and sent him off to the Hufflepuff table before making his way to the head table.

Walking behind the table, he remained standing and addressed the assembly. The first years were all standing at the back of the Hall under the supervision of Professor McGonagall.

"My friends, it is with a heavy heart that I open these festivities. In today's attack many different things came to light. We saw courage, strength, compassion, trust, betrayal, cowardice, and much loss. We mourn tonight the death of the conductor and the two aurors assigned to protect you, who perished this evening, and also the three students who were killed over the course of the summer. Please join with me in a moment of silence in remembrance of them." He said, before bowing his head. The Hall remained silent for 2 whole minutes, broken only by the occasional sniff or sob.

"May they find peace in the Hereafter. Tonight we shall remember them not with sadness, however, but with the joy with which they lived their lives. Tonight is a celebration, and we shall show Voldemort that we will not stop living just because he is back." stated a somber Dumbledore. "As such, I would like to start of byt thanking the students who stood together this afternoon to thwart the Deatheater attack. They are all memebers of a study group that was lead by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasly last year, and performed admirably. I would like to offer each and every one of them my thanks, and feel that we should all show our appreciation." With that, he stood and started clapping and was sooned joined by the entire Great Hall, save most of the Slytherins, in a standing ovation.

The trio was taken aback at the applause, they hadn't anticipated anything like this, and Harry even felt a bit guilty that they were the only three to be recognized.

When the clapping had died down, the Headmaster motioned everyone to be seated and continued, "Let the Sorting begin."

The Hat took its cue, and began.

"For years I have sung of the founders  
For which each house here bears a name  
With division, however, abounding,  
I'm afraid I must now change this game.

Godric was brave and Helga was steadfast  
Salazaar crafty and Roweena was smart  
They built this school hoping it would last  
And so created me to do my part.

But now I fear we've gone too far.  
Many schisms with which to contend  
If I leave things the way that they are now  
I fear Hogwarts will soon meet its end.

Last year I delivered a warning  
On the dangers of staying divided  
You discarded my words and my wisdom,  
And ignored all the help I provided

So this year I'll put into action  
The words I delivered to all  
I'll show you you're not all that different,  
From the others filling this Hall.

So come up here and sit down beneath me  
Allow me to explore your mind  
I'll poke and I'll prod and then share  
Your true natures, whatever I find."

Everyone clapped with hesitation, not able to get past the warning that the Hat had just given, and confused about what the hat had meant.

McGonagall looked down at the scroll and called up the first student.

"Abbot, Christopher"

He sat on the stool, a worried look on his face after the Hat's song. And then the tear opened again and the Hat proclaimed:

"HUFFLE-DOR"

"What?" "What's going on?" "Where's he supposed to go then?" "Should we clap?" "What house is he in?" and other similar questions broke out across the hall. The only ones that Harry noticed who weren't whispering were, Christopher Abbot, who had a look of horror and confusion on his face, McGonagall, who was staring at the Headmaster with a look of confusion and the Headmaster himself, smiling with a mad twinkle dancing in his eyes.

Seeing the confusion around him, and the questioning look on McGonagall's face as to what to do, Harry stood up, drew his wand and conjured himself a new cane. He then started to make his way towards the hat, limping and obviously still in some pain after the battle. The closer he got to the hat, the fewer mumbles there were among the people. Harry looked up to see the Headmaster smiling at him, as was his head of house, and was glad that Madame Pomfrey was not in attendance.

Then turning to the frightened first year he said, "Hello Christopher, My name is Harry. I was wondering if you would let me take your seat for a second?" The boy nodded frantically and handed Harry the hat, jumped down from the stool, and stood off to the side.

Harry took the hat, sat down and placed it on his head.

'_Ah, Potter, or should I say Gryffindor, it's been a while. To what do I owe this honour?' _asked the Hat.

'I know what you're doing, and I wanted to thank you. I came up to see if I could help you out.' replied Harry. 

'_Out of all the students last year, you took my words to heart the most with your club, though now knowing your heritage, I cannot say I am surprised. If I do this, you know what I'm going to say. Are you sure you want this?' _inquired the Hat.

'_Yes, I am sure. And thank you for the warning.'_

'_Very well young Heir. Godric would be proud of you...'_ "GRYFF-ERIN"

The Hall burst out into even MORE murmurs then before, "Gryff-erin?" "so he's like a Slytherin?" "does that mean he really might actually be the heir of Slytherin?" "What's he doing in Gryffindor" "Maybe we all have a bit of another house in us." "What's going on?"

Harry stood, removing the hat to show his rather large smile. Seeing this, all four of his friends stood up at once, and made their way to the front.

Hermione went first, "GRYFFIN-CLAW"

Then Ron, "GRYFFIN-PUFF", which got a chuckle out of the red haired wizard as he removed the hat.

Ginny was next, "GRYFF-ERIN" this got more of a reaction then Ron, but less then Harry.

And Neville went last, "GRYFFIN-PUFF"

After he removed the Hat and placed it back on the stood, the five teens stood and looked up at the Headmaster. "It would appear that the Hat is playing by new rules. And as these five have demonstrated, the first part is the house you are in, and the second is to remind you that you are more alike then you sometimes would like to admit."

Then looking down at Christopher, "It would appear, young man, that you are a Hufflepuff. Congratulations." Dumbledore concluded. At this, the Hufflepuff table exploded in applause.

"Alysa, Mae", "GRYFF-ERIN"

As the other students went through, there were mixes of shouting, now not only did the primary house cheer, but also the secondary, unless the secondary was Slytherin of course.

Then finally "Zabini, Elgin" "SLYTHER-DOR"

During the clapping, Hermione tried to get her four friends' attention, "Guys, I have something to tell you."

"Can't it wait? We're about to start eating!" complained Ron

"No we're not, he still has to introduce the new students, remember? The transfers I was telling you about?" she explained.

"Right. So what is it you wanted to say?" asked Harry.

"They're two girls. I just wanted to tell you I didn't mean to keep anything from you. I wasn't supposed to tell. It was for our safety. You see..."

But the Headmaster had already rose began to speak to the students, "Now before we begin I have a few more introductions to make." Hermione looked defeated at this, since her friends' attention was now firmly fixed on the Headmaster.

"First, I would like to introduce some new professors. At the end of the table is Mr. Charlie Weasley." The headmaster was cut off by the volume of the cheering coming from the Gryffindor table, "It would appear that Mr. Weasley's accomplishments as a seeker have not gone un-remembered in his former house. He will be taking over for our gamekeeper, Hagrid." Whispers broke out, wondering why he would need to be replaced, and why he was still sitting up at the head table. "Please, if I may continue. Hagrid will still be on the grounds, and you will more then likely be seeing even more if him than you have these past years. When he attended here, a misunderstanding resulted in his removal from classes before he was able to complete his OWLs, and as a result, he has not been able to use magic. However, the former altercation has been resolved, and he has now been invited to return to his studies. He will be joining the 5th years of his former house and completing his OWL studies before returning to his post as Care of Magical Creatures professor next year. So let me introduce to you the newest 5th year Gryffindor, Hagrid!" The applause picked up again from three of the four houses. Hagrid rose and, with an embarrassed smile, waved to the students.

"Now, Hagrid is not the only new student, I have two others to introduce." he continued, signaling to the back of the Hall, where Professor McGonagall was now located. She turned and opened the door, and invited the two students who were standing on the other side.

As the two girls became visible, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville's jaws hit the table.

"May I introduce you to Misses Athena and Demeter Granger." the Headmaster said with his hand extended towards the two newest arrivals.

The two girls were identical to their friend, with the exception of their hair. One was dirty blonde, and the other had a full bushy head of red hair.

"Miss Athena Granger has transferred here from Durmstag, while her sister, Miss Demeter Granger, has transferred here from the Lelawala School of magic in Niagara Falls New York and Ontario." Scattered whispers broke out about the school located behind the falls. It's in both the U.S. and Canada, and is a very popular international school as a result.

The red headed one waved at her mortified sister as she walked past to the front of the room. Hermione sheepishly waved back while her four friends stared at her with mixed emotions: surprise, disappointment, frustration, understanding, distrust, and many others. Hermione just bowed her head, and started crying quietly.

Seeing her distress, Ron didn't know what to do. He wanted to be upset. He wanted to yell at her for keeping this from them, but seeing her broken and weeping beside him, he couldn't bring himself to do it. So he reached over and started rubbing her back.

Feeling the comforting hand on her back, she practically threw herself on him, muttering "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" over and over again between sobs. He returned the embrace, and told her quietly, "We're not going anywhere. Really. We'll talk about it later. It's ok." All the while he continued to rub her back as he hugged her.

Harry would be lying if he said he didn't feel betrayed, but Hermione was his friend, and this wasn't as big a secret as others that had been kept from him until recently, one that he was able to forgive. And that secret had been about him and ultimately had cost him the life of a good friend. If he could forgive Professor Dumbledore, he could forgive his friend. Though he was curious as to how keeping this a secret was for their own safety...and how, for that matter, making this known so publicly was a good idea.

"Granger, Athena" said the assistant headmistress.

The redheaded Granger sat on the stool and the hat proclaimed "GRYFF-ERIN" earning her a clap from the Gryffindors. Then the dirty blonde one, Demeter, was called next, "GRYFFIN-PUFF" causing the Hufflepuff table to join in the celebration too.

Both girls started walking to the table together. Demeter, the dirty blonde one, squeezed in beside her sister and the 4th year on her left, while Athena sat herself down on the other side of Ron, and across from Neville.

"Now Hermione, I know you've shown us pictures and all, but I never actually believed you when you said they didn't do your friends' justice." she said, passing a wink over Harry's way.

'Oh brother' thought Harry, earning him a mental laugh from Ginny to his right.

By now, Hermione had pretty much recovered, though she was still a little puffy in the face. "Athena, don't start." she said, as forcefully as she could.

"Oh don't worry sis. We know which one is off limits. We promise to be good." Athena said slyly, confusing Ron, Harry and Neville, but getting a giggle out of Ginny. Hermione was not impressed.

"Athena!" she practically yelled.

Then with a smile, she turned to Harry, "Hello, as you might have figured out by now, I'm Athena." she said as she held out her hand. He shook it, then Neville, Ginny and Ron did too. Hermione was grumbling as her sister took the spotlight, yet again.

"And you know my older sister Hermione." Athena says as motioning to her sibling. "She won that distinction by being an over achiever even before she was born, jumping out a whole 10 minutes before me." Ron chuckled, though stopped quickly when he noticed that Hermione _was not_ impressed.

"And to her left, is our youngest sister, Demeter." Then in a bit of a whisper "She's the shy one."

Harry greeted Demeter happily, causing her to blush, before everyone else greeted her as well. Once introductions were out of the way, everyone started eating.

_You do know that she keeps looking up at you don't you?_ Ginny asked him mentally.

'Yes Gin, I know. I'm trying not to encourage it.' he responded, while taking another bite from his chicken.

_Why not? She's kinda cute. I thought you liked redheads._ She thought with a teasing tone.

'You're right, I do, and if I didn't think I was on the edge of a relationship, you might have had to be worried!' he sent back, refusing to back down from the taunt.

_You wish Potter! That ship sailed a while ago._ She sent back, mustering almost enough conviction to convince herself.

'True, I haven't seen you stick your elbow in butter for a couple years now.' He shot back with a smile on his face.

Ginny paused slightly, but refused to let him have the last word, _And what do you mean about on the edge of a relationship? Who's the unlucky lady?_ She teased back.

'Well, if you're gonna be like that, then I'm not gonna tell you. You'll just have to find out at the same time as everyone else.' he thought before closing the link.

Of course, Susan chose that exact moment to flash Harry a big smile from the Hufflepuff table and Harry returned one wholeheartedly, which didn't go unnoticed by Ginny, who grinned knowingly.

Finding out about Demeter's love of herbology, Neville switched spots with Ginny to talk about his passion with someone who could actually appreciate it. Ginny and Ron had gotten into a big quiddich discussion with Athena, but not necessarily a friendly one. "The Cannons? Are you serious? And here I though Hermione had GOOD taste!" Athena exclaimed, causing a small explosion from Ron, and a laugh from Ginny.

This left Hermione to Harry. "Mione?"

She looked up with a very thick mask of guilt on her face. "I tried to tell you, I swear." she said, just loud enough for Harry to hear and nearly in tears , "I just kept getting interrupted..."

"Mione, don't worry. I'm not upset with you. This actually explains a few things. I'm just curious as to why the secrecy was necessary. Can you tell us later?" he asked, with a very comforting look on his face.

Hermione sniffed one last time and nodded, looking significantly better and almost returning the smile Harry was giving her.

Shortly after, the door opened, and in walked a couple more teachers, and another man that Harry recognized.

Ron and Athena fell silent. "Harry! That's Medwin Reinblut! What's he doing here?" Ron asked.

Before Harry could speculate aloud, the Headmaster stood up, "May I please have your attention for a brief moment," The hall quieted considerably before he continued, "This would be a good time to introduce to you your new Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Reinblut." The hall clapped, though gasps and whispers could still be heard over the din.

The new professor stopped briefly and turned to the students to bow slightly, before proceeding to his seat next to the Headmaster after which everyone continued with their meals.

"I wonder why Dumbledore got _him_." asked Ron.

"Don't know. According to that frog card of yours he fought with Dumbledore in the war against Grindewald. He probably knows a couple of things about war, and fighting dark wizards, and that's exactly what we need right now." guessed Harry, getting a bunch of nods in response.

The feast finished, the plates were cleared, and the Headmaster rose to make the final announcements.

"Now that the meal is finished, I would ask for your attention one last time before I send you off to your dormitories." he stared with a smile and twinkle. "I would like to start by saying that all decrees instituted by Professor Umbridge last year have been revoked." The clapping that ensued following that announcement was deafening.

"Next, I would like to announce the beginning of a dueling club. This club will not be mandatory, but we do encourage everyone from 3rd year and up to attend." There was some grumbling from the second years, and Harry could sympathize with them. Everyone needed to learn how to defend themselves nowadays. "A word of warning now: As with the previous years, the Forest is strictly off limits, as is the village of Hogsmeade for everyone below 3rd year." he said, rather gravely, but then changing his demeanor completely he continued, "and I also have a milestone here at Hogwarts to announce. Please raise your glasses with me to the accomplishments of Misters Fred and George Weasley. They have single, or double, handedly brought the list of forbidden objects here at Hogwarts beyond the record breaking number of 500." Cheers erupted from all students without a snake on their crest, "You will notice, when you go to check the complete list on Mr. Filch's office door, as I'm sure you all do yearly, that numbers 442-506 are dedicated to products that can now be purchased at their store in Diagon Alley."

Harry was slightly taken aback, because if he didn't know better, he would have sworn that the Headmaster had just promoted the twins' products. He just smiled and shook his head as he clapped with everyone else.

"Please remember to get your schedules tomorrow morning here, in the Great Hall. First years, please follow your prefects, and a good night to the rest of you."

Everyone got up to leave, and most headed for their dorms, except for Harry who's night was just beginning.

Waiving to his friends, he slipped into a corner, switched into his kneazle form, and crept unnoticed all the way to the gargoyle.

'First stop; Dumbledore's office.'

* * *

**AN:** Thanks again to all my readers and especially to the reviewers. Now I should specify how my notes work since I've managed to confuse more then one of you. There is a bracket directly to the right of your name, that note is for you. If there are three names in a row and then a set of brackets, it's only meant for the one person it's next to. Sorry people, that was my fault. 

Anyways...here they are: Thank you to **raugost**(thank you very much)**, BovinePimp, mthukral, wooooo, sirius009, hp fan 30, Life Love Sanity, old-crow, AznDiabloKiller, Blue Skywalker**(sorry, I have no control over that. When I go to it, it's all there. Contact a site administrator maybe they can help)**, Kyle Broflovski**(sorry for the misspelling...I'm bad for that ;) )**, Padfoot's Godchild, Your-Bones-Akin**(I hope you got my e-mail explaining what you were asking me about in your review)**, Silver Warrior, avablizzard597, chaser1, Tmctflyboy, yo-yo55d, murdrax, NessaFefalas, TankerMDK, shadow's rain**(thanks for your input)**, Nightwing 509, EJC.**

A big thank you to my editors and proof readers: **Fairytale-princess-504, HJP **and **ChickADee.**

Farfumsane.


	23. First night in the Castle

**Disclaimer: **I'm just using the caring characters created by the remarkable writer Rowling and I'm but borrowing the brilliant backdrop of her incredibly interesting imaginings and making no money on my markings.

**Chapter 22:** **First night in the Castle**

Harry returned to his human form as he neared the Headmaster's office. To his surprise, as he got closer, the gargoyle stepped aside before he even had a chance to guess at the password.

Harry realized that the castle had figured his destination and his intent, and opened the door for him. It reminded him of a good servant anticipating her master's needs before he voiced them. "Thank you Hogwarts" he whispered, thinking himself rather nuts to be speaking to a building, as he made his way up the stairs.

When he reached the top, the door to the office opened on its own accord, so he entered it.

Looking around the room, Harry took in every detail, which was something he didn't do last time he was here during the summer. He noticed that all the items he had destroyed after returning from the ministry had all been repaired, all but one that is. This lone broken item was sitting on a stand by itself off to the side, but in direct view of the desk.

"_Hello young one."_ trilled the phoenix.

"Good evening Fawkes." he replied.

"Mr. Potter?" asked a male voice behind him. Silently cursing himself for dropping his guard and letting someone slip in behind him, Harry whipped around with his wand drawn to face the man.

The man in the former Headmaster's portrait that Harry was now pointing his wand at was terrified. "WOH! Calm down Mad Eye!" said the portrait.

Harry cracked a grin, and put his wand away, much to the portrait's relief. "Sorry 'bout that. One gets jumpy with a psycho evil mass murderer after them. And please, call me Harry."

"Quite understandable Harry. I assure you that I do not take it personally." assured the image. "I'm Headmaster Dippet, but you can call me Armando." the portrait said with a smile.

"The other portraits and I have been meaning to talk with you for a while now, Harry. We all want to thank you for everything you've done for this school. No, let me finish," Armando said, cutting off Harry before he could deny anything, "We have not only heard of all your exploits from Albus, but we've also heard from all the other portraits in this school exactly what kind of a young man you are. And though, I admit, you went through some rough patches, we are very proud that you are a product of our school, and offer you of our heart felt thanks for saving the students here many, many times over from various perils, from a possessed DADA professor, to a giant Basilisk. We are in your debt for all you've done, and this was something we meant to do before we found out about you're blood line, so don't even try to accuse us of sucking up." said the ex-headmaster, with a grin on his face. "Though from the buzz around the school, your actions tonight have been nothing short of heroic either. Not that I'm at all surprised."

"Thank you." muttered Harry, rather embarrassed at the attention.

"But since the topic of your lineage has come up, I must ask: Was Albus being truthful with us? Do you really have a portrait of Godric Gryffindor?" asked Armando, unable to hide his excitement.

Harry could only laugh as he looked around and saw practically every other portrait in the room, anxiously anticipating his response.

"Yes, I do. And I will be bringing him to visit shortly." Harry could hardly suppress a chuckle at the various reactions. All good, except that of Phineas who had been muttering something about do-gooder Gryffindors, but that didn't surprise Harry.

He continued to chat with the portraits about various topics. He asked them to spread the word that he wasn't to be treated any differently than before especially when they were addressing him. All he needed was to have a Slytherin around when one of the portraits called him My Lord Gryffindor.

As they were speaking about some of their experiences as headmaster, a voice from the doorway caught everyone's attention.

"Good evening Harry. Thank you for coming to see me tonight." said the Headmaster as he entered his office.

Harry rose from the chair that he had been sitting in and conversing with the portraits from. "I'm sorry for entering your study without you here, but the castle has been anticipating my needs. Doors open before I reach them, even ones that need passwords, the ghosts and portraits obey me, and I am constantly surrounded by a feeling of welcome and safety. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?

Dumbledore smiled and motioned for him to return to the seat in which he had been sitting, as he himself sat in the chair beside it, "I can only assume that it's because you are Gryffindor's Heir. Though this type of thing never occurred with any of your sires while they were in attendance here, I must admit that the castle did help each of them a bit at one time or another. I'm sure that the Marauders knew so much success as much because of their intelligence, as the castle assisting behind the scenes."

Harry thought that this would explain why they were able to find so many passages and also found a way to map it out magically. He highly doubted that Hogwarts would have given just anyone the ability to track the children under her care. He'd have to ask Moony how they managed to make that map in the first place.

"I would assume that the castle recognizes your robe. Before you ask, yes, I can see through the enchantment. I must ask you not to abuse this privilege Harry. I cringe to think what the twins would have tried to accomplish had they had full access to the entire school."

"Of course Albus. It wouldn't bode well for school unity if I were to be caught in the midst of playing pranks on others." explained Harry with a wry smile.

"That is good to know Harry, because I dare say that Hogwarts wouldn't do anything to stop you, unless of course you did something to endanger her children."

"So you're saying that Hogwarts is sentient?" inquired Harry.

"Whether she was originally created to be, or became so over the years, I don't know, but yes. She very much is." Albus admitted.

"I'll have to ask Godric about that." said Harry thoughtfully.

"Ah yes, may I ask when you will allow me to borrow his portrait? I know all the headmasters here are very anxious to meet him." he admitted, while more then one portrait nodded in the background.

"I will bring him by tomorrow." Harry offered.

"That would excellent. Thank you."

"Albus, why is it that you didn't fix that one? If you like, I'll replace it." asked Harry as he motioned to the broken item on the stand.

"No Harry. It's serving a higher purpose now then it ever did when in one piece." the Headmaster explained.

"Sir? What purpose is that?" inquired Harry, not exactly sure what was meant.

"Harry, that broken tool is a daily reminder to me of several things. First of all, it reminds me that I am not infallible. I will make mistakes." Harry made to object, but the Headmaster stopped him by raising his hand and continuing, "Secondly, it reminds me that looking at the big picture is important, but I should never forget the individuals affected. And finally, it serves to remind me that no matter the intentions behind our motivations, if we keep things from people there are always consequences, and sometime they are higher then we are able to imagine." he ended sadly.

Harry nodded, deep in thought of his own now.

"But we must learn from errors, so that they are not repeated. In keeping with that, I would like to talk to you about what happened on the train. This year, Harry, I want us to have open dialogue. No deceptions, and above all, no secrets." he explained, "Our investigation found that your information was indeed correct. The conductor was killed first, and with his own wand. His wand was then used to kill the two Aurors before they even had a chance to react. After questioning several students, it would appear that all non-Slytherins in the back three cars wereas evicted and then the cars were sealed off before the attacks started. However, you may also have noticed that not all of the Slytherins were included in this safety, and it would appear that it was done intentionally."

Harry thought about the ones he saw. Sally-Ann Perks was locked out, as was the junior Zabini. He didn't remember any others specifically, but he made it a point to find out about them. If he was going to unite the houses, then those people would be the best place to start and work from there.

"Unfortunately, when the order members arrived to take the Death Eaters into custody, someone ennervated the prisoners before checking them for devices. Some of them quickly said an activation word, and they escaped via hidden portkey." he said sadly.

Harry's frustration was clearly visible. "How could that happen!" he asked, his voice rising, but not yet yelling.

"We don't know who it was Harry, but we are looking into it. I am sorry." said the weary Headmaster.

Harry didn't want to rage at the man beside him. It wasn't Albus' fault directly, but that did little to calm Harry, "How many got away!" he demanded, still rather upset, but slowly getting himself under control.

"Only four escaped. Unfortunately, one of them was Bellatrix. We managed to keep eight of them. One was too injured to regain consciousness, the other seven were the ones stunned by you, and so were unable to be awoken. Those seven are still unconscious actually." he admitted.

Harry calmed slightly, "They'll be waking up tomorrow afternoon. The stunners last 24 hours unless I cancel them." Though still unhappy about the loss of Bellatrix, he reached into his pocket and drew out a rat with a front paw missing, and placed it on the table, "Here's another one. I locked him in his animagus form so you will have to reverse my curse. I only ask one thing: please assure me that you will do everything in your power to get Sirius pardoned. He doesn't deserve to be remembered as a murderer."

The shocked Headmaster reached out and grabbed the rat from the table. "You have my word on that Harry. I've been pushing for his pardon for a year now, but never before have I actually had any concrete proof. Thank you."

Harry gave a quick nod.

Dumbledore rose with the rat in hand, and conjured a small cage, which he placed several enchantments on, before putting the rodent within, and locking it magically and placing it on his desk.

Then returning to Harry, he asked, "Do you have anything to add to my report?"

Harry proceeded to tell him about his meeting with Malfoy before the attack, his suspicions of Draco's involvement and the conflict he witnessed between Miss Perks and the Death Eater.

"That is good to hear. This brings us to our next order of business. And speaking of Orders, what have you decided about our offer?" asked the aged leader.

"I have thought a lot about this, and I have decided that I don't want to join...in an official capacity." answered Harry.

Before Albus could object, and argue his point, Harry stopped him to explain. "At this point, I wont be able to do much good for the Order. My major goals and aims should be training and focusing on my specific task. I have to defeat Voldemort, and right now, I wouldn't be able to. I need to prepare. What I DON'T need is to have to deal with assignments, meetings and debates about things that really don't concern me. I have you and other members who can keep me informed.

"Now, that doesn't mean I won't be available to help. If I feel that a task you bring to me would be beneficial to my training, or my overall goals, then I'll do it. But I will only do things that I want to. I don't want to blindly follow orders anymore, Albus. You have my respect and my love, but I won't be manipulated again, even if you think you're doing it for my best interests.

"This year, my focus is on school, and doing my best to unite the houses. If you have something that you think will help those goals, I'm all ears, and more then willing to consider it." the young man explained.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. He had hoped Harry's answer would be different, but this was better then it could have been.

"I understand, Harry. With that in mind, I do have one job that I feel will be helpful to your goal. I would like you to keep an eye on Miss Perks, when possible. If what you said is true, and that she was locked out of the Slytherin cars to begin with, it is probably safe to assume that her housemates will make her life rather difficult."

"Thank you Albus, but you didn't have to ask me. I was already planning on doing something like that. I figure that if we accept Sally-Ann, and make her welcome, we can show the other Slytherins that don't want to be going along with Malfoy, that there is a viable option and that they will have support. But we'll see how this goes as the year goes on." explained the teen.

"That is very sound reasoning, and I'm most impressed that you have come up with that. I must also add that I am very proud of you and your friends at the feast tonight when you all came forward to assist. I was wondering how we were going to get out of that one, so I thank you for taking the initiative. That made my job much easier."

"It was nothing, besides, I have been wanting to talk to the sorting hat again for a while, and this seemed like the best opportunity." said Harry with a smile.

"That is all I wished to speak with you about Harry, unless there is something else you wished to ask me?"

"I do have one more question, Albus. I know that twins, triplets and quadruplets born in the magical world are more powerful than single births. What I don't understand is why you told Hermione's parents that they should send her and her sisters to different schools and then tell them that they had to keep it a secret." asked Harry.

"May I ask you a question first Harry?" Harry nodded "how many sets of triplets do you know in the magical world? Or even quadruplets? Aside from the Grangers." asked the Headmaster.

Thinking for a second he answered, "None. But why is that relevant?"

"I ask because I wanted to show you how uncommon they are. The last time a set of triplets was born was 57 years ago and once Grindewald found out, he promptly had them executed, at age 5. Before that, it had been over 100 years. You see, triplets usually show up with a prophecy, and are only ever born if there is a threat to the magical world and are _always_ powerful, especially when they work together." explained the tired old man.

Harry remembered the book on twins and triplet magic in his library, and vowed to take a closer look at it as soon as possible.

"Now, to answer your question. One night when I was looking at the registry book, I watched as three names appeared, all with the same last name, and all within 15 minutes. Tom was becoming stronger and gaining followers rapidly. I immediately left, and went to the muggle hospital where they had been born to speak with their parents and explained to them what their family was actually facing. They agreed to my help, and so I set up wards, and destroyed any proof of their birth outside of their personal official documents.

"As the girls grew up I went to visit occasionally, though never in this appearance. Their parents agreed with me that they should not tell the girls of the magical world, thus keeping the chance of their exposure to a minimum. I still thought Tom was out there somewhere and so this seemed like the best course of action at the time. When time for school came, I thought it best to allow the girls to learn the basics in a safe environment and so convinced their parents to send them to different schools, in different countries. First, however, we had to explain to them why. So I went as myself, and sat down with the entire family, and explained to them the significance of them being triplets, and the possible dangers they would face if that knowledge were to get out. They agreed, that for their own safety, until they were ready, they would remain at different schools.

"They would have completed their schooling apart too, had one of the Death Eaters not recognized Hermione's picture in the daily prophet write up about the department of mysteries and recognized her twin as one of the other students at his old school. Tom started making inquiries in other schools on a hunch, and came across young Demeter as well. Thanks to the work of Professor Snape, we were able to avoid tragedy this time, and kept them safe all summer over seas and in disguise. With the secret out now, however, it seemed as good a time as any to bring them all here. Hogwarts is, after all, the safest place in all of England." he said with a playful twinkle in his eye.

"Ya right." mumbled Harry sarcastically, quickly playing through the last 5 years in his mind. Hogwarts had contained a possessed Teacher, a giant three headed Dog, a giant basilisk, allowed entry to someone charged with murder and had escaped Azkaban (even if he was innocent), a death eater professor, a portkey to Voldemort, and a psycho ministry hired toad who had a penchant for slicing up the hand of her students.

"Pardon?" questioned the Headmaster.

"I said, 'You're right'." clarified Harry with a deceptively genuine smile.

"Is there anything else you wish to ask tonight Harry? If not, I would suggest you head off to bed. Though I would imagine you wont be getting much sleep tonight with the miss Grangers and a couple of young Weasleys and a Mr. Longbottom all trying to get to know each other." joked the old man as he thought of the exuberance of youth.

Saying their good nights, and promising to keep each other informed of any significant goings on in either of their lives, Harry headed off to Gryffindor tower.

* * *

After leaving the Headmaster's office, Harry stopped about halfway to Gryffindor Tower in a more secluded corridor. 

He drew his wand and cast a couple of privacy spells that he had learned over the summer. Harry knew that he wouldn't have enough time this summer to actually learn his entire spell repertoire wandlessly, so he only focused on the ones he thought of as most useful, and because of this, they were mostly combat spells. Besides, even though he was a Sorcerer, he still found it easier to learn new spells with his wand first, before trying to figure them out without one.

"Peeves" he said in a quiet, yet commanding voice causing the poltergeist to appear before him.

"Oh Porta Potty, what do you want from Peeves?" he asked.

Harry laughed "That's a new one." then getting a little more serious, "Remember I mentioned that I had a couple of jobs for you? Well, I have a special one that I don't want other people to know about, and that only you can do."

Peeves ears perked up at this, "I need you to prank people, and I'll even give you equipment regularly to do it too." The poltergeist was ecstatic if not a little disbelieving. Harry clarified, "I want you to prank anyone who feeds house rivalry. Anyone you hear insulting another house, anyone you see ignoring or being snobby to someone from another house and especially people who are bullying kids from another house. I want you to prank them like there's no tomorrow. This means that people you see helping others from other houses, or being friends with people from other houses, are to be left alone. Do you understand?"

Peeves appeared to be torn. He loved to prank, and Harry was offering him both an opportunity to do so unpunished and even the means to do it more efficiently, however, Harry was also telling him that he had limits.

"I'm sorry Peeves. I'm not giving you a choice in this. I need to bring this school together, and if I can't do this, you wont have anyone to prank at all in a few years." Knowing full well what Harry was implying, Peeves nodded in understanding.

"Good. Tomorrow night, meet me here again at midnight, and I'll give you your first shipment of prank supplies. They'll be from your good friends, by the way, Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, only the best for the fine students of Hogwarts, don't you think?" he asked the passed-on prankster who smiled and nodded fervently before cackling loudly with glee and disappearing.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was NOT in the best of moods. The summer had been strenuous, and he had learned so much, even if it had come at a rather high price. The Dark Lord's training methods were not the kindest and more then one session had ended because he was near death and unconscious. But no one could argue with the results. He learned in a month and a half what it would take most people half a year to learn with normal teaching methods. 

He was sure that he was the most powerful person in Hogwarts, next to Dumbledore, but he had been ordered not to reveal his powers. He had been given the potion to hide his magical signature that Travers had been brewing that night, and it would even fool the results of the magical testing that all 6th year students would be receiving in the next few days.

This was why he was angry. What was the point of having power if he was unable to use it against the weak fools that surrounded him? He especially wanted to use them against Potter!

'That weak fool. He has no idea I could kill him so easily now!' he thought with a smile.

The Dark Lord had allowed Draco to accompany the death eaters on some of their raids. Draco had found that killing and torturing came very easily to him. 'Must be in the blood' he mused.

Feeling no presence, he thought again about the force that had been trying to enter his mind since the train. He first felt it right before the attack, luckily the occlumency he had been taught had allowed him to notice the attempted invasion and keep them out. This, however, had distracted him enough to throw his aim off at the time, hitting the mudblood with that stunner instead of Potter. Then Weasel had to go and jump in front of the next one. Had he not sent the Aurors wands back to his trunk with Pansy, he would have used them and thrown killing curses instead, and there'd now be less one mudblood and one poor blood traitor, but there was no point dwelling on the past.

Looking at the time, he got up and made his way out of the Slytherin common room. Slipping into the hallway, he silently cursed again that the Dark Lord's spy wasn't in Slytherin. Though this made sense. After all, there weren't any Slytherins in the D.A.

* * *

After his meeting with Peeves, Harry continued down the halls towards Gryffindor Tower. 

"Hello Harry." said a voice from his left.

He turned quickly with his wand drawn, not having recognised the voice right away, and found himself face to face with...

"Luna?" asked a disbelieving Harry.

The Ghost smiled and nodded, her spectral bottle cap earrings dangling silently. "How are you doing Harry?" she asked smiling. Noticing the confused look on her friend's face, she giggled slightly, "you look like a merman out of water." Still giggling to herself with a vacant expression in her eyes, she turned and started floating away.

"Luna...wait!" he called, reaching out with his hand causing the ghost to stop.

"Harry, please let me go." she asked.

Realizing that he was using his abilities over Hogwarts to hold her, he let go quickly, "I'm sorry Luna...I didn't mean to. I'm still new to this...stuff." looking sad, and slightly unsure about things, "I just wanted to talk to you some more." Then in a quieter voice, "I've missed you." he added with a frown.

She smiled at him and came closer. "I've missed you too Harry."

As Harry looked up, Luna could see him smiling sadly, with tears forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry Luna. I'm sorry I got you killed. I'm sorry I never told you how much you helped me at the end of last year. I just thought...that I'd have a lot of time for...that kind of thing." he said sadly, now staring at the floor.

Smiling sadly herself, "Don't cry Harry. I'm still here. You can tell me all that now."

Harry looked up slowly. There were unshed tears forming in his eyes. He tried to smile, but grief and guilt were displayed clearly on his face.

"It was my time, and no, it wasn't your fault. They weren't even coming for me. They were coming for my father because the Quibbler was such a big part of announcing Voldemort's return. I'm just thankful that my father wasn't home at the time. I don't blame you, so you shouldn't blame yourself." she said, smiling.

Harry's smile became more genuine. With a grateful, if not still a little sad, look on his face he said, "Thank you." before wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Don't worry Harry. Things will work out, and you will win. And I will be here until that happens."

Harry was confused, "What do you mean 'until that happens'?"

"I made you a promise, Harry, that I will help you, and fight alongside you. Though I can't do much fighting, I will keep my oath, even if you didn't know about it. After you have completed your task, and the oath that binds me is gone, I'll move on. But not yet." she admitted with a smile.

Harry didn't know what to say, "What? You mean you're stuck here because of me? Oh, I'm sorry Luna, can I release you of your oath? Let you go and be with your mother?" he asked with concern.

With a smile she quietly she responded, "No Harry, you can't, and even if you could, I wouldn't let you. You've always been nice to me, even when others haven't, and you are a caring and compassionate soul. That's why I vowed to stand with you, through anything, until you complete your task. It wasn't a hard ritual either, though it was obscure." She admitted, rather dreamily.

Again, Harry was confused, "What?"

"I knew what would happen Harry, I have the sight. So I performed the ritual, binding myself to you and your task. Once that task is finished, or you die, I'll move on, but not before. Until then, I'll be here for you and help in anyway I can."

"You...you...knew?... So you ...but..." not sure what to say, but understanding the magnitude of her confession, Harry just conceded. "Thank you Luna. I wish you hadn't, but in a way I'm glad you did." he admitted with a small smile. "Do you mind if I ask why?"

"No, I don't mind if you ask, but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you." she said with a dazed look on her face, Harry took this as the end of the conversation.

"I'll see you later Harry. I heard some of the other ghosts saying that there's a lair of sneakle borbots under the school somewhere. I've been trying to find them when I haven't been doing things for you, but they're quite elusive. I think I'll go look for them again now."

Harry smiled, this was the Luna he'd always remember.

"I'll see you later Harry, if you need me, all you have to do is call. I'll hear you." she said as she disappeared through the floor.

'Doing things for me? Wait a sec, what has she been doing for me?' thought Harry.

_What has who been doing for you Harry? Are you thinking about Susan again?_ Asked Ginny suggestively.

Kicking himself for letting his shields slip, he replied, 'don't worry about it, I'll tell you later. And no, not Susan.'

_Sure Harry, whatever you say. Are you done with the Headmaster? You should get back here if you are, we're all hanging out in the common room getting to know Hermione's sisters and waiting for you._ She told him.

'Sounds good, I'm on my way.' He said, before severing the link.

He had made two shields in his mind now. The main one, that stayed up constantly and protected him memories, and a secondary one that would totally close off his consciousness from prying minds. This second one had two settings, low and high security, as he liked to call them. The Low security setting was always in effect, it blocked Tom, their link and most unfriendly minds as determined by his kneazle senses, which had been very accurate so far. The High security one would block out everyone, including Ginny. Sometimes, he just needed his thoughts to be his own.

After finishing his mental chat, he slipped into kneazle form and ran off down the hallway towards the tower dancing from shadow to shadow, and making practically no noise at all.

* * *

**AN:** Again I state **I WILL BE FINISHING THIS STORY **. So dont worry that Im going to abandon it. That wont happen.

Thank you to ALL reviewers and readers. Keep them coming.

Thanks to my editor for this Chap, ChickADee.

Farfumsane.


	24. First day of classes

**Disclaimer: **My story is but a snitch, soaring around the quiddich pitch that is the imagination of JKRowling.

**Chapter 23: First day of classes**

"Hey Harry" greeted Ginny as he entered the common room, "Athena has been telling us some stories about Hermione's childhood while we waited for you."

Harry noticed that Hermione was currently beat red, though he couldn't tell if her colour was due to embarrassment, anger or both.

"But now that you're here, we can tell you about ourselves, and apologize for sister dearest's not being able to tell you about us sooner." said Athena as she shifted over a bit and offered Harry a place beside her.

"How long do you guys think this will take?" asked Harry, not yet accepting the seat offered.

"Well, that depends," said Hermione, who seemed to have regained most of her composure. "Probably about an hour to tell you about most of it..."

"But if you actually want to know the whole story, and where Demeter and I have been, and what the three of us have been doing over the past few summers, it'll take a lot longer then that." interrupted Athena with a smile.

Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "Do you trust them?"

She sighed, but answering honestly, "Yes I do."

"Should I?" he then asked her.

Realizing what he was actually asking her, Hermione felt a sense of pride that Harry had so much faith in her opinion. Looking him in the eyes, and without any doubt she answered, "Yes, Harry. You can trust them as much as you trust me."

Smiling fondly at her, he replied, "Not for a while, Hermione. But thank you."

Ron, Ginny and Neville seemed to know what was going on, but Athena and Demeter were clearly confused.

Then Harry turned to the rest of the group, "I'll be right back." he said, before exiting the portrait hole.

"Where'd he go?" asked a still confused, and slightly disappointed Athena.

"I think I know, and if I'm right, he'll be back in a couple of minutes." said Ron.

Hermione assumed that Ron had come to the same conclusion as her, and she was again impressed with this young man sitting beside her. Last year he wouldn't have had a clue what was going on...at least, he would have appeared not to have a clue.

Hermione had been thinking about him a lot lately. Where had this Ron come from? Was this a miraculous summer transformation, or had he always been this calculating and thoughtful and just not told them. From all of her past experiences, she couldn't help but think that he was completely tactless, never had a clue and rarely, if ever, thought before he spoke. But she had to admit, he played a mean game of chess, and there was no denying what she was witnessing now. He must finally be coming into his own.

'I'm glad my friends are finally growing up.' she thought, 'first Harry, of course for him it's understandable, that kind of revelation would sober anyone up in an instant, and now Ron.' chancing another glance at him, she noticed that he was talking to Athena about the house quiddich team. Thinking back, she realized that he had been sitting next to her all day. He had been right beside her in the car on the way to the station, on the train, at the feast, and even now. When she thought about this, she blushed slightly, and she made to move away but stopped herself.

'What am I doing?' she thought to herself in disbelief, 'this is Ron for goodness sake. One of my best friends. I don't like him like that!' she thought, with attempted conviction.

_Ya, right, just friends. **Why**_ _don't I believe you?_ Asked that mental voice she had heard once or twice that summer.

'I didn't ask you!' she thought forcefully, 'I don't even know who you are! Why do you keep bothering me?'

But no answer came. She didn't have a clue who that was, but until she knew, she wouldn't trust a word it said. She hadn't told anyone about it yet, as she had told Harry in his second year: even in the wizarding world, hearing voices wasn't a good sign. So she kept it to herself, and tried to figure out who, or what, it could be.

During her ponderings, the portrait hole opened again, and Harry signaled them to follow him.

With his map out, he led them all to a nearby broom closet and again, signaled them to follow as he entered it.

"You know, Harry. If you wanted me in a broom closet, all you had to do was ask." whispered Athena as she followed him in. Hermione rolled her eyes so hard at her sister's blatant flirting that Ron could have sworn he heard them.

He ushered them though a door at the back of the closet, which opened up into what appeared to be the entrance hall of a large mansion. Athena and Demeter were the only ones who didn't know where they were, but seeing that the others weren't surprised, they decided not to worry.

"Whe...where are we?" asked Demeter timidly.

With a thought, Harry's robes reverted to there original red and gold, and he turned with his arms opened wide as he explained with a smile, "Welcome to Potter Mansion."

* * *

"What do you mean he's not restarting the DA this year?" asked a frustrated Draco Malfoy. 

"Don't worry, I have a plan that will get me closer to him that if I were just in the DA." informed the spy.

"You better hope you're right. The Dark Lord does not like being disappointed...and neither do I. I'll give you a month, if you're not close to him in some way by then, and feeding me USEFUL information, I promise you that your failure will be rewarded." promised the young dark wizard. "Now get out of here before someone notices that you're missing."

The spy bowed slightly before turning and leaving.

Draco knew that this servant was just a means to an end. There is no way that the Dark Lord would accept this spy after they finished Hogwarts. Draco laughed to himself at the naivety of the rat.

'Even if what the Dark Lord promised this traitor was possible, he wouldn't do it. Besides, there's no cure for that disease. If there had been, others like him would have turned and served long ago.' Chuckling under his breath, he started to think up different ways he could torture the traitor when this was all over.

* * *

Ron looked at with a sickly expression on his face, "What is this stuff again?" as he poked the red gelatinous goop with his spoon again only to watch it wobble. 

"It's called Jell-o, Ron." said Hermione matter-of-factly, with a bit of a short temper, this was only the fourth time she had told him after all.

"And the little things suspended in it?" he asked, hesitantly.

"They're pieces of fruit! Honestly Ron! It's actually really good. Would you just eat it?" she told him.

Harry, Demeter, Athena and Ginny had already finished the snack that Stewy had brought them, only Neville and Ron still looked at it cautiously, where as Hermione just hadn't had time to eat it with all of their questions.

The group had been sitting and talking for a couple of hours now. Harry had explained to the newcomers how the time difference worked: since he had initiated the spell tonight at 11pm, then the time inside the mansion and outside the mansion would coincide again at 7am the day after tomorrow PT, and that's when they would go out and make their way to the great hall for breakfast. Noticing that neither understood, he asked Godric to take over, and this, of course, only confused them more. In the end, they just decided to take Harry's word on it and left it at that.

They talked for another hour or so before heading off to bed. Stewy prepared rooms for everyone. Though Harry had never actually counted, he would guess that he had about 25 to 30 rooms in the mansion, but why he needed so many rooms in a secret mansion was beyond him. Hermione, Ginny and Ron just took their usual ones and the other three were given their own as well.

* * *

The next morning was spent in conversation. Harry had a feeling that Athena and Demeter would play just as integral a part in this war as he would, so he didn't feel as though he should keep anything from them. He told them all what he had learned from Dumbledore about magical triplets, that he was really the sorcerer everyone was talking about, did his best to ignore Athena's flirting and he even told them the prophecy and how it might have been about Neville at first, had Voldemort not marked him instead. 

"Um...Harry?" started Hermione with hesitation. "I know you told me not to bring it up again, but I was just wondering if you've looked around the table recently?"

Harry was more then a little confused, and shot her a questioning look.

"Well...you see...Me and my sisters are named after Greek gods...or the children of Zeus...Ginny and Ron are redheads, and Neville could have been 'fate's alternate'." she said, almost squinting at what his response would be, fearing the worse.

Harry finally understood, but of course, no one else at the table had a clue about what they were talking about.

"You're right, I did tell you not to mention it again," started Harry in an even voice, "but I'm glad you did." he finished with a slight sigh. "Alright, as Hermione has so kindly reminded me, there's another prophecy, this one much older, that is _apparently_ about me as well. If I'm not mistaken, it goes like this:

"The Child shall walk on air, land and sea.  
In him all four elements will be seen  
Sword and cloak and staff and ring  
His father's treasures together he'll bring

He will have aids, 3, 2 and 1,  
If the battle is to be won.  
Children of Zeus and those of fire,  
And fate's alternate will be required.  
With allies and friends an army will form,  
Together they'll face the serpent's throng,

If phoenix blood victorious be:  
1000 years of peace we'll see.  
Should heir of snake eventually reign:  
The light may never shine again.

"Which means we have a new task as well. I have to find Godric's ring and staff." he said in an exasperated tone, rubbing his temples and leaning back in his chair.

"Wow mate, this just keeps getting better and better." said Ron sarcastically with a low whistle.

"Does that also mean you have to learn to control the elements Harry?" asked a confused looking Neville.

"I don't think so, at least, I hope not anyways. No one ever has been able to before, though that would be a heck of a 'power the dark lord knows not'. I think, just like with the line above it, it's making reference to my animagus forms: Fire and air with the Phoenix, earth with the kneazle and water with the hippocampus. Then again, I could be way off base." explained Harry.

The others just nodded, not sure what else to say.

The rest of the day was spent in a much more relaxed fashion, as everyone did what they wanted to. Hermione went off to the library, Ron, Athena and Ginny went flying, Neville and Demeter went to scope out Harry's garden and park, leaving Harry to float around from group to group.

Before diner, Hermione apologized to Harry for bringing up the prophecy even though he had told her not too. He told her not to worry about it, and that if it hadn't been for his own ignorance in the first place, he wouldn't have said that to her and that as his friend, it was her job to question him. If his friends didn't do it, then who else could he trust to point out his mistakes?

The rest of the time in the mansion flew by, and the next morning, they awoke and slipped back out into Gryffindor tower, changed and headed down for breakfast.

* * *

Harry, Athena, Hermione and Ron were sitting in the great hall having breakfast when Professor McGonagall brought over their schedules. Harry grinned as he read it. 

"What're you so happy about?" inquired Athena, looking at her own schedule.

"I have double potions Monday morning, and single potions Friday last period." he said with a smile.

"Don't know what you're so happy about, I'm glad I don't have potions this year!" stated Athena.

"Mate? Have you lost it? How in Merlin's name can you be smiling?" asked Ron.

"Lost what?" asked Ginny as she joined them, taking the open seat next to Harry.

"Harry's gone round the twist. He's looking forward to potions." said Ron with a mixture of disgust and disbelief.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders and grabbed another piece of bacon, not wanting to give away his master plan.

Harry had a very packed schedule. It just so happened that all the courses he wanted were offered at different times, so he wouldn't be given a time turner, but he didn't have much time outside of classes as it stood now.

'Until I get rid of a few of them.' He thought with a sly grin.

Ginny just looked at him quizzically, but he didn't elaborate. Then she smiled, _Harry, I think you have some company._ She told him.

Looking up, he notices Susan walking towards him. Smiling, he pushed Ginny over a bit, making space on his other side for Susan to sit between him and Athena. Athena wasn't too pleased by this, since she had purposely sat down next to him that morning, but she didn't say anything.

Susan thanked Harry as she sat herself down.

The two of them compared schedules, and started chatting about various other things totally oblivious to the looks of amusement on the faces of his old friends, and the looks of disappointment on the faces of his two new ones.

Time for potions came, and they all got up to leave. Susan said goodbye, as she didn't have potions, but they made plans to meet back up at Lunch.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Demeter and surprisingly Neville, entered the dungeon and chose seats in the mid section of the class. After sitting, and getting settled, they were just starting a conversation when Snape entered the room.

He walked down the aisle with his robes billowing and a scowl engraved on his stone like face.

"It would appear, again this year, that there are people in this class who managed to cheat and trick the examiners into thinking that they actually knew enough in this subject to earn them an Outstanding." said Snape harshly, staring at Harry, Ron and especially Neville.

Not being able to pass up such an excellent opportunity, Harry raised his hand.

"What is it Potter!" the professor growled.

"I was just going to say, sir, that perhaps it's because he have such a good teacher." he said with a smile. The loud thunk everyone heard off to his right was Ron's, Neville's and even Hermione's jaws all hitting the table simultaneously.

"10 points from Gryffindor for your cheek and flagrant kissing up, Potter! I am quite aware of my abilities, and don't need your sorry attempts at currying preferential treatment to build up my ego." said the potions master with a satisfied smile.

Snape proceeded to tell them about the muscle mending potion they were to brew. Until he noticed that one of his students had the nerve to whisper to someone else as he was speaking.

"10 points from Gryffindor, Potter! For someone who got in here by the skin of their teeth, you don't seem to be paying attention." Snape said, with a derogatory tone in his voice.

"On the contrary sir, I was just discussing with Hermione the fact that I have learned a more effective way to brew this potion." Harry drawled, rather unimpressed and barely paying attention to Snape as he prepared his ingredients.

"Are you implying that you are more knowledgeable then me in this field Potter?" practically yelled a rather irate and extremely disbelieving Snape.

"Not at all. I'm only saying that if you were to brew this particular potion in the spring and use wild willow branches as they are budding, instead of already mature ones with full leaves, the maturing quality present in the wood at that time will not only add potency to the potion, but also force the mixture itself to mature quicker...Sir." he said calmly.

With a smirk of confidence Snape snorted and replied, "I knew you had no idea what you were talking about, but I'm glad you went and showed the rest of the class for me. Tell me, Potter, if that is the case, then what reaction would that have with the troll blood?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "If you us the standard 4 ounces of it then _of course_ you'll have a problem, that's why you have to increase the amount to 7 ounces. And before you say anything, the excess with not react negatively with the powdered dragon scales if you add a small amount of ground sugar cane to balance out the effect. You'll also find that the adding of sugar cane will change the flavour of the potion, resulting in a better taste, making the patient more relaxed, and thus causing less strain on the muscles, allowing the potion to work more effectively."

Snape couldn't speak a word through that entire confrontation as he was going through everything Harry was saying in his mind. Shortly after Harry had finished, and his mental calculations were concluded, he could tell Harry was right, in everything. This shocked Snape more then anything else. He was barely able to hide his surprise, and frustration at being bested by the Gryffindor Golden boy.

Not allowing his defeat to show, or letting anyone else know that Harry was actually right, Snape responded, "You are not the professor here, and we are NOT interested in how we can make things _taste_ better. You are to brew what I've written on the board, and keep your inane comments to yourself. 20 points from Gryffindor for talking back to your teacher, wasting the classes time and hypothesizing about things which are above your abilities to even begin to comprehend."

Not backing down, and knowing he was right, Harry continued, "I can site to you which books I've read this in, one was written by the renowned alchemist Nicholas Flamel and another buy YOUR former mentor Madam Serena Wintringham. If you would take two seconds to think about what I said, you would know that I am right." But then it donned on Harry, "Oh wait, you have, and _that's_ why you focused on my comment about the taste as opposed to attacking my claims that it increases the potency. A good man, and a true master, takes every available experience to learn all he can in his chosen field, no matter how unlikely the source of that information might be. Those who don't are either Hacks, or arrogant ego maniacs, which one are you... _professor_?"

"50 POINTS! and 2 weeks detention POTTER! For insulting a professor, and disrupting the class! Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! And go to the headmaster's office!" the slighted professor yelled while pointing adamantly at the door.

None of the other students said a word during the entire exchange. Many of the Gryffindors and Hufflepuff students in the room looked on in awe at the courage it took to stand up to the professor, some of the Ravenclaws had written down everything Harry had said, and decided to check it all out later for themselves. Either way, the hypothesis had merit, and if it had truly been said by the two masters Harry had said, then they would be looking at the-boy-who-lived in a new light.

The Slytherins reaction was split. Some were smirking at Potters performance, while others were disgusted that Snape allowed him to get one up on him, though the second group was still happy they wouldn't have to deal with the likes of Potter in this class for the rest of the year.

* * *

"Harry, what a pleasant surprise, what might I be able to do for you today?" asked the headmaster after Harry flashed into the office. "Could I interest you in a lemon drop?" he inquired as he, himself, reached into a bag and popped one in his mouth. 

"No thank you sir." declined Harry, politely, "I was wondering, headmaster, if you would have a few minutes to review of memory of mine that just occurred in Potions so that you know what actually happened before Snape gets here and gives you his version."

"Professor Snape, Harry." corrected the headmaster before nodding, and pulling out his pensive. He had long heard the stories of the animosity between these two, but had never been able to witness any altercations first hand. This should be enlightening.

After coming out of the memory, Dumbledore noticed that Snape was in the room, and staring daggers at Harry, who was sitting, unphased, in the chair next to Fawlkes' perch.

"Headmaster, I want to petition for the immediate expulsion of this student for disrespecting a senior member of the staff, and flagrant defamation of character. He has belittled me in front of my class for the last time!" Snape practically yelled, all the while pointing his figure at the young man seated in the chair.

Raising his hand to calm his potions master, Dumbledore spoke, "if this is in regards to the incident that just took place in your potions lab, then I must agree that Mr. Potter acted in a way that was disrespecting of a person in a position of authority over him." He paused when he saw Severus smirk at Harry, "However, due to the fact that he was provoked and lied to by said member of the staff, I cannot in good conscience expel him for standing up for what he knew to be the truth. This sort of abuse of authority happened last year under Madame Umbridge, and I will not allow it to continue." Snape's jaw dropped, but Harry had yet to let any semblance of emotion cross his face at all.

"The detention, and house point reductions stand. He will, however not be removed form this school, nor even your class, as you were as much of an antagonist as he was in this altercation." Then turning to the student, "I would ask you, Harry, to refrain from making such accusations in the future. If a similar problem arises, you are to go to your head of house, or come to me so that we can review the incident in private."

"Sir, I have a question." said Harry, finally speaking. Snape was grumbling and growling under his breath, but knew better then to try and take control of a situation in the presence of the Headmaster.

"Yes Harry?"

"Is it possible with the NEWTs, as it was with the OWLs, to take the exam at the end of the year even without having taken part in the course at school?"

"Yes Harry, it is, but I would not recommend this if you are serious about doing well. You need the guidance of a master in order to excel in this type of subject." interjected Dumbledore, with a slight smile, knowing full well that Harry had a much more patient master at his disposal then the man sitting next to him, in the form of one of the many portraits in his mansion.

"Then that is what I wish to do, sir. I will be dropping Potions immediately." bringing about a snort from Snape, and causing him to mumble about egotistic Gryffindors. "I'll still serve the detentions without complaint, but after that I don't want to have any contact with this man unless it is related to the Order or the war effort."

"Very well Harry." nodded the aged Headmaster. He had hoped that these two would be able to see past their differences and realize just how alike they truly were, but it would appear that this would not be happening anytime soon, if ever.

It was later decided that Harry's detention with Snape would take place all in one day, 10 hours of Snape, this coming Saturday. They would be going into the forest to collect ingredients. Harry was actually looking forward to it, since he knew of some plants he was looking for, for his own garden, and this would be an excellent opportunity to find some. Too bad the company couldn't be better.

After the meeting, Snape returned to his class, which he had left Malfoy in charge of, and Harry excused himself and went down early for lunch.

* * *

When he entered the Great Hall, Harry noticed Susan sitting at the Hufflepuff table reading, so he made his way over there. 

They talked for a while, played some wizard chess, which Harry won, and basically just enjoyed each other's company.

Soon other students of the now disbanded started to file in as the time for lunch neared. Ron, Hermione and the rest of the potion's class came in eventually, noticing Harry with Susan, they decided to ask him about the details of his encounter with the Headmaster later, giving him a chance to relax a bit. After all, he was actually laughing and having fun, they didn't have the heart to go over and confront him just then.

Harry remained at the Hufflepuff table with Susan, and the other members DA: Ernie, Hannah, Justin and even Zacharias. They were all still pretty disappointed that Harry wouldn't be continuing the DA this year, but they understood that with a competent teacher, it wasn't really needed. They did, however, make sure to tell him that if he ever did decide to start it up again, to let them know and they'd be there.

As lunch came to a close, everyone started to get up and head to class. Harry stopped Susan on her way out, when no one else was around.

"Susan? I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date...with me." he asked hopefully. He was extremely unsure of himself, but he refused to let his apprehension and nerves show.

She smiled shyly in return, "I'd love to Harry. When did you have in mind?" she asked, thinking he meant this coming weekend, or possible the first Hogsmeade trip.

"I was thinking tonight, unless this is too short notice for you?" he answered, with a little more confidence then before.

"That would be great." She responded smiling, happy that she wouldn't have to wait. "What time, and where?"

"How 'bout I meet you in front of the statue of Mercury the Messenger right after dinner." he explained.

"It's a date." she said with a smile, before heading off to class.

* * *

"Today we will be starting with conjuring items." said Professor McGonagall from the front of the sixth year class of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. 

After some brief theory on conjuring, the class was asked to conjure a button. "We will start with something small, and then move on to larger items, then more ornate items, then multiple items and repeat the process. We should complete this section on conjuring shortly after Christmas, and will again revisit it in more depth and detail next year before your NEWTs. Do not be disappointed it you can't manage to conjure anything by the end of class. It is not a simple task, and only a few of you will be able to manage it before the end of the week. Please begin."

As she was making her rounds, she watched Harry. She had heard of his little performance in Potions, and was hoping that his sudden abilities and knowledge weren't just limited to that field. As she watched, he conjured a beautifully ornate winter cloak with matching scarf and hat.

"Mr. Potter! What on earth have you done!" she asked, causing everyone's attention to focus on Harry.

He looked a little embarrassed, but explained. "I tried to just picture a button, but then my mind wandered, and I thought about what the button would be attached to, and then to how it would look, and then what I would wear with it and then...well...you get the picture."

She was flabbergasted. This was, quite possibly, one of the best bits of conjuring she had ever seen from a student in Hogwarts, scratch that, one of the best bits of conjuring she'd ever seen! The seams were flawless, the pattern embroidered in the gold trim was astounding, and the vibrant red colour seemed to dance on the coat, making it look almost alive. And the detail in the Gryffindor house emblem on the front breast was more then a little impressive.

She saw him smile. "I was also thinking about how you always seem to wear a dark cloak and plaid scarf to the Gryffindor quiddich games and thought you might like something that displayed a little more house spirit." he said as he offered it to her.

She accepted it, still transfixed on the creation. The material felt so soft and warm. She was still staring at the cloak in her hands when the bell went off. The students noticed their good fortune right away, and slipped out of class before she was able to assign any homework. Hermione protested a little, but Ron and Harry ushered her out before she could snap McGonagall out of it.

Seeing the second years entering the room when she finally did look up, she made a point to remind herself to speak to the Headmaster at the staff meeting tonight about this.

* * *

Charms With Hufflepuff that day followed along much the same lines as Transfiguration. Harry had sat with Susan, but his work was much more advanced then hers...actually, he was miles ahead of everyone, and Flitwick, though he didn't express it, was certain that Harry was performing well above even NEWT level. 

Then they were off to DADA with the Slytherins.

"Good afternoon class. As you are all aware of by now, my name is Professor Reinblut." said the elderly man with a thick German accent.

Then leaning on his desk he continued, "What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say 'Dark Magic'." A few hands went up with hesitation.

"Yes mister..."

"Longbottom."

"And...?"

"Oh...Evil."

He nodded slowly before continuing to the next person, "Miss...?"

"Greengrass. Frightening." She said, causing most of the other Slytherins to laugh.

"No need to ask your name, Mr. Malfoy, what's your opinion?"

"Power."

Harry snorted.

"And you Mr..?"

Harry was a little surprised at this. This was the first time he hadn't been recognized in the wizardign world as far as he could remember. This caused him to smile a bit before answering.

"Potter, sir. And two words come to mind. Misunderstood and blinding."

The aged professor's eye brows shot up at this, "Really? Do explain please."

"The magic itself is very misunderstood. Magic, in and of itself, is not evil or dark. It is the way a wizard chooses to use the magic that determines that. So to classify any spell outside of context, as Dark, or evil, is very naive. Even the unforgiveables could have their uses. For example, 'imperio' could help patients with phobias face their fears. 'Crucio', in a localized burst, could help people with nerve damage to fell things, and could possible be used as a treatment of sorts. Even the 'avada kedava' could be used as a humain way of putting down animal that are sick or injured since it is immediate and painless."

"I see...and you also said blinding?"

"Yes. Blinding, because as I just finished saying, due to the fact that they are so often associated with evil, they are never looked upon as anything but, and so good people are blinded to their true possibilities, where as evil people are blinded into thinking that they are the only ones 'strong' enough to use them and that these spells were created for their purposes alone."

"20 points to Gryffindor, Mr. Potter. Your observations, both of them, were not only well formulated, but also correct."

Professor Reinblut spent the rest of the class talking about the myth of dark magic, and how by taking away this strongest tool of a dark wizard, they take away part of the fear that kept them in power.

Near the end of the class, Reinblut spoke up, "This year we will be covering not only the practical usages for advanced hexes and curses, and how to defend yourselves from them, but we will also be going into some detail on dark magic, how to recognize it, protect yourself from it, and when you are faced with no other opportunities, even use it. This is War, ladies and gentlemen, and we do not have the luxury of a noble opponent who would be willing to only cast spells from a predetermined list." This caused a couple in the class to snort at the thought.

Harry was impressed, it looked liked they finally had someone who would have a good mix of theory and practical. This hadn't happened since Mooney was there. The Moody imposter hadn't been to bad, but he hadn't really touched on any of the theory, and only went through the most common spells. It was Harry's hope that Professor Reinblut would teach more then just stuff every one knew.

"Before you all go, come up to the front and get a copy of the course book that we will be using. I want you to read the first chapter before our double period on Friday. Dismissed."

Harry grabbed the book, received a nod from Reinblut, and headed out of class. On his way to Herbology, Harry saw the surprised look on Hermione's face as she whispered to Demeter.

"What is it Hermione?" asked Harry.

"It's this book. It's illegal!" she said the last word no louder then a harsh whisper, as if she feared that if she said it out loud, she'd be thrown into Azkaban. "The ministry declared it forbidden years ago because they thought it could be used by dark wizards as a guide to not getting caught."

Harry took a closer look at the title: 'How evil falls: The weaknesses in thinking yourself indestructible. By Medwin B. Reinblut.'

Harry snorted, "His name is Medwin?" Ron smirked at this, as did Athena.

"Harry! This isn't a joke! We could all get into serious trouble for this." Hermione said firmly.

"Hermione, lets look at the facts. This book was given to us by one of our teachers, it was written by him, and it relates directly to the subject at hand. Since we didn't buy it at a book store, I doubt that we could be held accountable for owning one especially since it was banned before we were even born. Besides, what could they do to us? Throw all 50 or 60 students who are using this book in Azkaban? That would be ridiculous, not to mention unjust. It's not the responsibility of the student to check and see if every book on their professor's required reading list is 'legal' or not." he said, dismissing her fears. "But if it really bothers you, you can bring it up with the Headmaster. I would assume he knows of this. Then again, since he allowed that pretty boy, Lockhart, to use his own books, I might have to re-evaluate that assumption."

Causing another round of chuckles, and even Hermione smiled slightly.

Once at the greenhouse, the subject dropped, and the class began.

Unlike his other courses, Herbology was still a bit of a problem for Harry so he actually had to pay attention. He was still further ahead of the other students in that he knew how to properly harvest practically any potion ingredients from all theses plants, but he only had a limited knowledge in how to care for them properly.

* * *

On his way to the room of requirement, Harry checked to make sure he had everything he needed. Satisfied that he did, he checked the time again. 

"HARRY!" called out Ron from across the table after noticing that his friend wasn't paying attention to him, "I said, 'quiddich try-outs Wednesday night' I booked the pitch. I'll need your help pickin' new players. We still have Katie, which is a good thing even if she is swamped with NEWT studies, she's still a brilliant chaser." Ron paused to stuff something in his mouth, before continuing, "Ginny's pretty much a shoe in for chaser, but we still need to make her try out since she wasn't in that position last year. Kirke and Sloper are still here, but luckily they were told last year that everyone would have to try out again after the summer to insure their places. Since it was so last minute, Alicia basically just picked them as a last resort and she didn't want this year's captain to be stuck with them if there was someone better to do the job." he finished, taking another bite out of his chicken.

Nodding occasionally, or mumbling in agreement, Harry finished his meal in a rather distracted state.

Noticing his friends behaviour, Ron asked, "What's up, mate? You seem a little pre-occupied."

"What?" asked Harry, finally looking up and realizing that Ron was no longer talking about quiddich. "Oh, sorry. I guess I'm just a little...distracted."

"By what, Harry? You didn't seemed this troubled earlier." interjected a concerned looking Hermione, "Does it have anything to do with the professors' reactions to you in classes today?"

"Ya, that must be it." he said, but then noticing the time, "I gotta go. I'll catch you all later." he said as he grabbed his things and rushed out of the Great Hall.

He passed Ginny on his way out, but only managed to mutter a quick hello as he dashed by.

"What's up with him?" asked Ginny, nodding her head towards the door, as she sat in the seat left vacant by Harry.

"Dunno sis." said Ron before reaching for some more food, "He said he was a little distracted, but if you ask me, he looked nervous."

"Oh, ok. That makes sense then." said Ginny with a small smile as she reached for the potatoes.

"Why does that make sense?" asked Neville, who was seated to her right.

"He's probably just worried about his date tonight." she said matter-of-factly as she poured the gravy.

"His what!" asked Athena and Demeter simultaneously.

"His date with Susan Bones. He asked her out at lunch." explained Ginny.

"Good for him!" said Ron through a mouth full of food.

"Swallow first , Ron!" said a disgruntled Hermione before turning back to her sisters and Ginny, "I think it's brilliant. Susan is a great girl, and I think she'll do him some good."

Athena and Demeter were both clearly unimpressed, but neither chose to voice their opinions on the matter.

* * *

Harry had arrived early to set the room up so that it would be perfect when Susan arrived. He then went to meet her at the statue, and lead her to the Room of Requirement. When she arrived, she was shocked to see the room transformed into a muggle mini putt, complete with ice cream vendor. Though this particular ice cream vendor was only about a meter in height, had pointed ears, and wore many bright and mismatching articles of clothing. 

All in all the evening was a success. They laughed together, had fun, and for once in his life, Harry knew what it felt like to be just an ordinary teenager.

When it was finally time to go, it was well after curfew, so Harry took out his map and invisibility cloak. He really didn't need it, but he thought it might be nice to have to squeeze two people under a cloak made for one full grown person. And he was right.

They walked silently all the way back, not wanting to arouse any attention. They even passed a patrolling pair of prefects, but remained unnoticed. All the while, Harry was thinking to himself about whether of not he really wanted this.

Making sure that all of his mental shields were up, he started to analyze things. Mostly what he felt towards Susan. She was cute, loyal, attractive, good at defense and DA, good looking, has a good sense of humour, gorgeous body, good company, and did he mention hot? With all these good things going for her, he wasn't sure why he felt so much apprehension about starting a relationship with her.

As they approached the Hufflepuff common room, she thanked him for the fine muggle date. And then the moment of truth came.

'Oh, what the heck.' thought Harry as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

He began to lean in slowly, and their lips met softly. It was pleasant for Harry. Not all wet like with Cho, and he saw how he could get used to this kissing thing. They deepened the kiss slightly, but then broke away soon after, both with a very large smile on their faces.

Harry warned her that next time he was going to take her bowling.

"Bowling? Why would we go and make bowls? We can just conjure them." asked a confused Susan.

Harry only smiled, "Bowling has nothing to do with bowls. You're just gonna have to wait. Unless of course, you get too curious, in which case ask the headmaster. According to his Chocolate Frog Card, it's one of his favorite past times." finished Harry with a wink.

They said goodbye, and shared another short kiss, before Harry threw on his invisibility cloak and disappeared from her sight.

That night, two very content teenagers entered separate beds, in separate towers, wearing different coloured pajamas, but identical smiles.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks toall my reviewers, I can't name you due to inability to access the internet for long periods, but I do read all the reviews as they appear in my inbox, so PLEASE keep reviewing. 

Farfumsane.


	25. First week ends

**Disclaimer: **I'm out of ideas. It belongs to JKRowling, I make nothing off this. I'm just sharing with those willing to read, what my twisted mind has come up with.

**Chapter 24: First week finished**

By the end of the first week, it was not uncommon to see either Susan sitting at the Gryffindor table, next to Harry, or Harry at the Hufflepuff table next to Susan. They were both equally welcome at either table, at least openly.

It was lunch time on Friday of the first week, right before his Charms class with Susan, when he received a summons to the Headmaster's office. It had been Professor McGonagall who had walked over to the Gryffindor table to inform him.

'Right when potions _would_ have been.' he thought with a smile.

_What is?_ Came Ginny's thoughts.

'My meeting with the Headmaster this afternoon. Don't you ever get tired of being nosey and in peoples minds all the time?' he asked in a playful manner.

_Not yours Mr. Potter. Besides, you're the only one who knows my secret, which makes it more fun to pick on you._

'Ah, I see. You know, you could solve that problem by telling someone else, you know.'

True, but that would take all the fun out of listening to them guess. I don't know how, but someone actually thought I was Snape at one point.

'Well...I _can_ see the similarities.' thought Harry teasingly.

If it would have been possible for someone to mentally stick out their tongue at someone else, Ginny would have. _Just for that, Mr. Potter, I'm leaving._ She sent, teasingly.

Ginny got up and said goodbye to everyone at the table with a smile before heading off to class.

"Practice Saturday, Harry. Our first game is only 3 months away, beginning of December, and I need to get everyone working together properly before then." said Ron as he ravaged another sandwich.

Try-outs had been a success. Even though Harry personally thought Ron was being a little obsessive about it. Most teams were waiting for a few weeks before choosing their new players and beginning practices, but not Ron. Harry could see the advantages: more practice time, better pitch times and so on, but Harry still thought it a bit much for so early in the year.

As expected, Ginny had made the team, as did Athena, who with Katie were the three chasers. Among those who tried out were Neville, Dean, Seamus, some of 4th years, a few 3rd years and even a couple of 2nd years. No 5th years wanted the added burden of quiddich, this being their OWL year, leaving Kirke and Sloper as the only 5th year representatives. The two of them had improved over the holidays, but to everyone's surprise Neville was actually the best beater of the bunch. His new found confidence had been popping up in the strangest places, but no one ever expected him to be such a terror with a beaters club. He was given the lead spot and since Kirke was the better of the two returning he got the other. Ron had decided to keep Sloper as an alternate, and to help with the practices. Ron also picked two reserve chasers, Natalie McDonald a third year who had tried out, and Sylvain Roi a second year student. This kept them covered for injuries in any position except keeper. If Harry couldn't play, Ginny would cover for him, and Natalie would come in as chaser.

"I already told you that I can't be there, mate. I got a detention with Snape. All day. Ten hours." said a disgusted and somewhat depressed Harry as Susan rubbed his back.

"Could be worse, it could be Umbridge." said Susan thinking to get a laugh out of everyone at the table. Unfortunately she wasn't aware of what Harry had gone through last year, so all she got were somber nods of agreement.

"Anyways," said Harry, not wanting to think about that, "It's class time, then I'm off to Dumbledore's office. Let's go."

* * *

Arriving at the Headmaster's office with a large covered portrait in hand, Harry noticed that the gargoyle jumped out of the way again before he had a chance to give the password. 

Harry knocked at the office door and Albus called him in.

"Ah Harry, good to see you. And I see you've brought us a present." said the aged man, eyes all a twinkle. The portraits in the room could be heard whispering to each other in anticipation.

"Yes Sir. I'm sorry I didn't bring him sooner, but I've been a little busy. I hope you don't mind." asked Harry as he slowly unwrapped it.

"Not at all Harry, and please, since we're alone, call me Albus."

"Of course Albus, my apologies." he said, smiling.

A grumbling voice got clearer as Harry began unwrapping the large portrait, "Was that really necessary Harry? It felt like I was suffocating wrapped up in that thing. And it doesn't help that I was no longer connected to my other portraits either..." complained Godric before being interrupted.

Harry cleared his throat, causing Godric to look around the room in shock and slight embarrassment. "Remember Godric, you never get a second chance, to make a first impression."

Then, smiling sheepishly, Godric spoke "Maybe I should try that again. Hello everyone," said the portrait, addressing all the others in the room, "My name is Godric Gryffindor...and I'd like to welcome you all to my castle." he said with a bigger smile now before bowing in his frame.

Most of the portraits smiled or laughed at his obvious attempt at lightening the mood. Only Phineas seemed to be grumbling something about insufferable Gryffindors.

The Headmaster hung the portrait on an open space of the wall before speaking, "Now I would ask you all to please go easy on Master Gryffindor, we don't want to frighten him on his first visit." Then turning to Godric he said, "Harry and I have some business to discuss, do you think you'll be able to manage without my assistance?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'm sure I'll be ok. I have a feeling I'll just be answering questions for the next few hours anyways. You kids go have fun." Godric said with a wink, before sitting down in his chair and preparing himself for the onslaught of questions that was about to come.

"Very well. Harry? Would you please join me in my private study? We'll leave the portraits to talk amongst themselves." he said, waving his hand towards a back door in his office, and beckoning Harry to follow.

Sitting themselves down, the Headmaster started, "Harry, I've called you here today because professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and even Reinblut have all come to me at one point or another during this week and told me that you were performing at a level that was well beyond that of a sixth or even a seventh year student. They are all convinced that right now, without any extra work on your part, you could write and pass the NEWTs for each of their classes."

Harry was a little surprised, especially about Herbology. He knew he was ahead of everyone else, but he never thought he was THAT far ahead. Though, with all the extra work he had done over the summer, he really shouldn't have been all that shocked.

"The only problem is that the new NEWT exams for this year have not yet been written, and will not become available for you to write until well after Christmas." said the Headmaster with a very satisfied and proud smile.

"Wait a sec...you want me to write my NEWTs this year?" asked a disbelieving Harry.

"Harry, I have no doubts, from the information I've received, that if I were to test you at this very moment, you would pass them all. So yes, I would like you to write them this year, but I do have a personal motive behind this as well. You see, once a student finishes their NEWTs, they are then aloud to go and become apprentices in their field of choice. Some go to study to be a healer, others to be lawyers, cursebreakers, aurors and so on. Since there are no magic universities or colleges as in the muggle world, this is how one learns the skills necessary for their future profession. Now in your case, once you finish your NEWTs, I would like to offer you an apprenticeship to me, here at Hogwarts for the next few years." explained Albus.

Harry was more then a little surprised this time. He wasn't sure why he had been called to the office, but he surely wasn't expecting anything like this, "What kind of apprenticeship?"

"Well Harry, my areas of expertise are primarily Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts so I would train you in both of those, but as an added bonus, you would also have access to every other professor in the school, who if willing, could take you on as a graduate student as well." explained Professor Dumbledore. "This would give you more advanced training then possible, had you just decided to work on your own, and allow you to be better prepared for your inevitable confrontation with Voldemort."

Smiling slightly, he continued "Since I promised that I wouldn't be keeping secrets from you this year, I must confess to an ulterior motive in all this. Professor Reinblut has only agreed to fill the vacancy of DADA professor for one year as a personal favour to me. This leaves that post open, and so I was hoping that you would be able to be the new Defense Professor next year as you study under me, as the two tasks will be closely related. With all of your practical past experience, and having completed your NEWTs you would be more then qualified, even by school board standards, to teach the course."

"You want me to teach?" asked Harry. "Wait a sec, I'm only a student! I have no experience in a class room setting?"

"I beg to differ Harry. I have seen the results of the students who studied under you in the DA last year. Not one of them scored below outstanding during their OWL examinations. Not to mention the NEWT students also scored outstandings on their tests. As for your lack of classroom experience, I have a solution for that as well." the long time professor explained.

Harry just sat silently, trying to take all this in.

"Since you are so far ahead in the majority of your courses, I would ask you to become a teachers assistant in Charms, Transfiguration and DADA. You would attend Herbology regularly on Mondays, as it's the lesson days, but on Wednesday, as the others do the practical, you will work on things assigned to you by Madame Sprout to assure that you know all the necessary information for the NEWTs. You would be moved into the seventh year Ancient Runes and Arithmacy classes, joined by miss Granger if she so chooses, but would continue to attend CoMC regularly, getting an outline of the seventh year material from Hagrid to study on your own when you have the time.

"You would then sit every exam a month or two after Christmas, when they become available and become a full time teachers assistant there after, helping in classes of various ages from first to seventh years. What say you to this proposal?"

"Uh...um..." stuttered Harry.

"I assure you that I have put a lot of thought into this Harry, and even reviewed the memories of your professors in my pensive. You can do this. Of that I have no doubt. The question is, do you _want_ to do this."

"Ya...I do. Do you really think I can?" asked Harry sheepishly and with uncertainty.

"Most definitely. I have no doubt that you will be able to...find the time necessary for all this." He explained with a wink.

'OF COURSE!' thought Harry. 'I can just set up the mansion to give me an extra day every night, giving me 14 days a week. That's perfect!'

"I accept Albus." said Harry before shaking the hand that had been extended to him. "What do I need to do?"

"Excellent! I must say, you make an old man proud Harry." said Albus with a smile. "as for what you need to do, each professor will tell you what's expected for each of their classes. Now, on to new business.

"With the capture and questioning of Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black has been declared innocent." Harry smiled at the news. "Unfortunately, this brings up another subject, and one that will need your immediate attention. Sirius left a will, as with every member of the Order, in my possession. This will is now legally and magically binding." Harry appeared crest fallen. He still didn't want to admit that Sirius was truly gone, let alone watch all of his things be divided up by a bunch of hungry vultures. "He left everything to you and Remus. He said that he left you a letter in which he made some requests of you, but other then that, half of all this things are yours Harry. The reason I bring this up, is that unless you go to Gringotts in the next week, the will becomes forfeit, allowing anyone of blood relations to state claims to his possession. This would include the Malfoys and Lestranges."

Harry's head shot up at the sound of those names with anger burning in his eyes. "May I have permission to go as soon as we are finished here sir? We can call Moony from Headquarters and go together. There's no way I'm letting those people have a knut of Sirius money." said Harry calmly, hiding his true passion on the subject.

"Very well Harry. I'll let you go directly to Grimmauld Place and collect Remus. You will have several hours before the bank closes for the night."

"Thank you Albus."

Their business completed for the day, Harry said goodbye to Albus before flashing over to collect Remus.

* * *

After arriving at the Leaky cauldron, Harry and Remus made their way over to Gringotts. 

"For some reason I'm still finding it hard to believe that he's gone. I don't know why, I just can't." confessed Harry as they walked.

"I know Harry. I don't want to believe it either." admitted Remus.

"It's not that I don't want to Moony, it's just that I can't. I've tried to admit he's gone, I've even gotten over the guilt of feeling responsible for it. But I just can't."

"I don't know what to say cub. You might just need more time." said the werewolf pensively.

"I guess." muttered an unconvinced Harry.

Then with a smirk, Remus said, "You know what we DO need to do though?"

Harry looked at him, "what?"

"Well...since you're now and animagus, we need to get you a nick name, and make you a full fledged Marauder. You're hardly a cub anymore, and you need an identity of your own." said Moony with a grin.

Harry just smiled, his early confusion set aside for this, much more pleasant, topic of conversation.

"It should be something that encompasses all of them, and not just one or two." said Moony.

"What about..." but Moony cut him off.

"Nuh uh! You don't get to pick. This is something that another Marauder bestows on you at the time of your inauguration. Do you really thing Sirius would have picked Padfoot? Or me Moony? Sorry cub, you get no say in the matter." explained the last of the originals.

"And when will this 'inauguration' be?" asked Harry.

"That all depends on you. To be admitted, one must perform a large scale prank, on a number of people greater then 20, and not take credit for it, nor get caught. After a confession of said prank to myself, I will set up a time for the ceremony at which I will tell you all the responsibilities and perks that go along with donning the title of Marauder. Oh, and that's when I give you your name too." clarified Moony.

"Ok, I can live with that. I guess it couldn't possibly be too bad. It's not like my name could be any worse then Wormtail." he admitted with a grimace, causing Remus to laugh along.

The Gringotts visit was uneventfully. They were seen quickly and all they had to do was sign a couple of documents, then they were off. It was short mostly because neither wanted to see the vaults yet. They figured that it would take a while to sift through it all, and neither of them had that kind of time right now.

Harry talked Remus into making a quick stop at Quality Quiddich Supplies before going back to Grimmauld Place, but where off again in a few minutes after Harry placed his order.

Harry checked out the library in Grimmauld place for anything he might like to read, or take with him. He found a couple of tomes, mostly on and about Dark Magic, in the short time he looked and shrunk them down before flashing back to the Headmasters Office at Hogwarts. After a short good day to the headmaster, he left in search of Susan, not wanting to think much more about everything that had happened in the past few hours.

* * *

The next morning came much to early for Harry. Though that had to do less with the amount of sleep he had had, and more with the company he was being forced to keep that day. 

Harry knew that he shouldn't be late. Even though he no longer had Snape as a teacher, he saw no point in going against his word in his dealings with anyone. He had told Snape he would meet him in the Entrance Hall at 7 am, and he would be there, but he didn't have to like it.

"It's about time, Potter." sneered Snape even though Harry still had a good 5 minutes.

"Shall we Professor?" asked Harry as he motioned towards the door.

"Humph!" grunted Snape as he walked past.

Harry had a feeling that Snape would be looking for any excuse to give him another detention since he'd no longer be able to give them to Harry in class. So Harry had decided to be on his best behaviour today.

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, the Snape turned to Harry.

"You will follow me, staying close and making no sounds whatsoever. I will say this once: I am fully aware of your previous excursions into this forest, and as much as I have no aversion to allowing your stupidity to have free reign when under the Headmasters care, I will NOT allow you to kill yourself on my watch. Therefore I remind you that _I_ am the adult, and the fully trained Wizard and you shall do as I say. Stay behind me, and you should remain intact. I am going to cast a couple of charms on us to mask our sent and to render us silent. This should be sufficient to avoid most creatures in there if you remember to say anything." he lectured with his face full of anger and malice.

Harry just nodded, thinking that now was as good a time as any to stop talking to the git and after the two spells were cast, they moved forward into the woods.

Snape would point to a plant, which Harry would immediately recognised, and then Snape would harvest what he needed, and place it in a small container, which he then handed to Harry. Harry found it rather amusing that approximately 95 of the ingredients that Snape had collected could be found in his private garden.

Harry found the odd ingredient he wanted as well, and when Snape wasn't looking, he would make a note of where he found it so that he could return later to collect the whole thing to transplant it into his garden.

The first few hours or so passed by in this fashion, rather uneventfully. They did have a short run in with a a few cornish pixies, but Harry let Snape handle it.

At about the 4 hour mark, however, their luck took a turn for the worse. Apparently the Acrumantula had needed to expand their territory, and unknown to Snape, he had just walked into the thick of it.

Harry heard the faint clicking sound before Snape did, and looked up to see a good 30 to 40 man sized spiders lowering themselves down slowly, attempting to surprise their prey. Harry quickly threw up the same shield he had used in Diagon Alley just before the first spider was about to land on Snape. Unfortunately, the spider had already been inside the spell radius before the shield went up, and was now on top of Snape.

Having been totally surprised, Snape had just managed to draw his wand when the spider that had thrown him to the ground was stun by Harry.

"Potter! What are you doing! I said I would take care of our safety. They don't hunt alone, make sure there are no others!" said the professor, refusing to acknowledge the fact that Harry had just saved his life.

"That wont be necessary, Professor, I found them." he said, pointing up.

Snape, who was still struggling to get the large, stunned beast off of him, hadn't had time to look around yet. Following Harry's finger, he saw the now, approximately 50 spiders which were crawling all over the invisible barrier trying to find a way in.

"Wha...what's is that?" asked a bewildered Snape.

"That, is a large number of spiders, being held at bay by the shield that I erected. The same shield that I used in my battle in Diagon Alley." explained Harry.

Snape's external reaction was a scowl of anger towards his student, but inside, he wasn't sure how to react. Snape had been so sure that all the stories about Potter's new found abilities were exaggerated, but in the face of hard facts, it was hard to deny.

"And what do you propose we do now? We can't fire spells outside this shield of yours! We're trapped!" growled an angry Snape.

"Now," Harry started patiently, "we wait."

"WAIT? For what!" screamed a frustrated Snape.

"Aragog." said Harry.

"What?"

"We wait for Aragog, their leader. I have a bone to pick with him anyway. He should be here in 20 minutes, tops."

"And what makes you so sure it will come? It's a spider. How can you confidently predict their behaviour."

"Because they are not spiders, they are Acrumantualas and according to the book I read on these creatures this past summer, any encroachment onto their territory that cannot be handled by the group that encounters it, must be reported to their leader, who will come itself and assess the risk. If it is something that can be defeated, he shall do so, if it is something that is more powerful then it is, for example, a Basilisk, it shall retreat and find new territory to occupy until the thread has left, or is defeated by some other means." explained Harry.

"And how can you be so sure of the time frame?" asked Snape, hoping to poke a hole in Harry's prediction.

"Knowing where the main den is located, and the average speed of travel of both the size of the messenger and the size of Aragog himself. I figured that they will realize their inability to penetrate the shield in 2 to 5 minutes, so if they send word at that time, Aragog should arrive in 15 to 20 minutes. He'll definitely be traveling at full speed as will the messenger since they take protection of their territory very seriously." Harry explained while looking at the spiders above, not even making eye contact with Snape.

With only a grunt, the potion master waited.

As Harry had predicted, Aragog arrived in under 20 minutes. The other spiders moved aside, and surrounded the captives and Aragog.

Harry lowered the shield, and bowed slightly to Aragog.

"Ah, friend of Hagrid, why have you returned? You should have learned the first time that you ware not safe in my domain." asked the giant arachnid, clearly confused as to why Harry would willingly return to his death.

Snape was about to speak when Harry cut him off, "We were not aware that you're hunting grounds had grown, had we known, we would not have ventured within them, however, since we are here, I bring news of the creature that we discussed during my last visit."

"Yes...I was told it had been killed, what of it?" asked a curious Aragog.

"It was I who ended its life." said a confident Harry, "With this." he said as he drew the Sword which had, until this point, been invisibly hanging at his side.

The clicking of the group increased, and many of the spiders, backed away a several feet from the humans, even Snape seemed surprised, not having seen the sword on his student earlier.

"How do I know you are telling the truth, friend of Hagrid. You could be lying to me in attempts at gaining safe passage."

"I know you can smell it, even now, after it had been cleaned and four years later. You know the smell of basilisk" all the spider flinched "blood. And you know too that you smell the killing blow. So I ask, why kill the one who destroyed the creature you feared?" asked Harry, mildly amused that the spiders react to the title of basilisk just as most wizards do to the one of Voldemort.

"You also know that I could easily defeat you. You can smell the power that I am emanating, let us go free, and I promise that no harm will come to you, and we shall leave your domain swiftly." Harry finished.

Snape was rather angry at the pompous attitude that this young Gryffindor was displaying, and was about to tell him so when he saw the resolve in Harry's eyes. He wasn't bragging, he wasn't exaggerating, he was dead serious, and Snape didn't doubt that if he wanted to, he could most probably make good on his threat. He chose not to speak and talk to the Headmaster about it later.

After several seconds, Aragog responded, "We thank you for what you did in slaying the beast, and you are free to move throughout our lands. Anyone with you will be safe too, as long as they do not stray from your side. What shall I call you in future meetings Friend of Hagrid?" leaving Snape standing dumbfounded.

"You may call me Lord Gryffindor," he said as he willed his Robe to return to it's original colour and design. "and spread the word throughout the forest of what you learned. Tell them to leave me, and those with me, alone. Any who disobey that order do so to their own peril." Harry thought he might be going a bit over board, but with Acrumantulas especially, one could not show any weakness. And Harry had a feeling he would need their help before the end of this war, and he knew they only responded to power, so power he showed them.

"Very well, Lord Gryffindor, It shall be done." said Aragog before turning and leaving. In like manner, all the other spiders turn and left them also.

After he was sure they had all gone, Snape, his face contorted in a grimace, turned to Harry, "WHAT do you thing you were doing!"

Non pulsed, Harry picked up the bag he was carrying and without looking at Snape, answered, "Saving our lives. Shall we continue?" he asked looking at the man before him.

Unsure how to react, or what to do, Snape vowed to make mention of this to the Headmaster upon returning. If Potter was truly as powerful as he was letting on, then Snape would have to rethink his treatment of him. It never does well to tick off someone more powerful then you.

Without a word, Snape turned on his heals, and walked on.

Harry figured that Aragog must have spread the word quickly indeed, since with only about an hour left, they had had no other run ins with any creatures at all. Just as Harry was thinking this, however, rustling in the bushes off to the right caught his attention.

Turning to face the noise, he realized that it had bee deliberate as they were actually surrounded, the noise was just for him to focus his attention on the leader.

Bane.

"You were warned not to return, and now that you are no longer a foal, we will have no qualms about punishing you properly." said the centaur.

Harry knew the respectful greeting, having read up on all known creatures in the forest this past summer with the knowledge that he would soon be meeting with the majority of them, but he was too annoyed with Bane's lack of proper etiquette in this situation to follow what was proper.

"Did you now receive the spiders' warning? Any who threatened me, any, would do so to their own peril?" asked Harry, casually, much to Snape's annoyance.

Bane just snorted with laughter. "We do not fear you, wizard."

Snape started ranting, "I am here with the Headmaster's permission, and you have no right..."

"SILENCE! This is OUR land!" shouted Bane, as others in his group approached Snape and pointed spears at him.

"That is where you are wrong, this is _MY _land. _I _am the Heir of Gryffindor and so this forest belongs to me.

"We do not recognise the boundaries of humans, only those which we have established. If this is your land, then why is it that you do not defend its boundaries? That is what WE do. This IS our land!" replied a visibly angry Bane.

Harry decided that he was too frustrated to deal with this right now, though he would never let it show. Calmly he continued, "Fine, if you seriously think you can defeat us, go ahead and try, I promise you in less then 5 seconds, you will be the only one left conscious." said Harry, in all honesty, causing Bane to laugh yet again.

Shaking his head in dissapointment, and ignoring the scathing looks coming from Snape, Harry started sending out silent, stunners.

After only 4 seconds, all the other 10 centaurs were unconscious, and lying on the ground.

Both Bane and Snape's anger dissipated immediately.

"Now, as I was saying," continued Harry, "next time you threaten me, either make sure you have a larger number, or come in peace. The choice is yours, but I promise you this, if it even appears ass though you have a hostile intent, you will not live to regret it. Do you understand?"

Bane was still too stunned, to respond coherently. "the stars are true...Firenze was right...Mars...bright..." and he slowly backed away into the bush, before galloping off.

"Nice leader, leaving all of his troupes unconscious." Harry woke two, and explained that Bane had run off. The others would wake up in 30 minutes, and they were too stand guard. If they had a problem with this, Harry would just stun them again and wake two others. They agreed and stood quietly as Harry and Snape started to make their way out of the Forest.

Once back on Hogwarts grounds, Harry turned to Snape, "Will that be all professor?"

"Yes." With that, Snape just turned and walked away, carrying the bag of things he had collected.

Harry laughed silently to himself at the plethora of facial expressions that had crossed Snapes face that day, heck, in this last encounter alone! Frustration, anger, fear, awe, confusion, frustration again and so many others. It was clear that Snape didn't know what to think about Harry.

'And now he owes me 2 more life debts, poor guy. I wonder if he'll remember, not that I really care either way.' he thought to himself as he made his way into the school.

"Hey Harry" greeted Ron, as Harry entered the common Room.

Seeing Harry's smile, Neville asked hesitantly, "How'd it go?"

Harry just shrugged, "Same old same old."

* * *

**AN:** Ok...another chapter finished. I posted this one at the same time as the last, but that doesn't mean I don't want a review for each ;) I like getting them for each chapter. Your thoughts on what happened, and suggestions on where to go with it are always appreciated. 

Farfumsane.


	26. End of September

**Disclaimer:**

JKRowling: brilliant.  
Farfumsane: not so much.  
JKRowling: making money off of being brilliant.  
Farfumsane: understandably, not making a dime.

**Chapter 25: End of September**

The next few weeks went along as normal as usual, normal for everyone but Harry that is. He was still getting used to his new schedule and classes. Hermione had decided to take Arithmacy and Ancient Runes with Harry since she had no other friends in the sixth year class anyways, and she thought it would be a good challenge to do the NEWTS for those two courses this year. She thought this would also give her more time next year for her other classes, reducing her course load, and giving her more time to study.

The oddest part was that he'd been living 14-day weeks now, since the second week of September. He entered his mansion every night at 11pm, after everyone had gone to bed, and came out at 7 the next morning, effectively giving him an extra 24 hours a day. He always kept the curtains on his bed drawn, so he didn't think any of his roommates had noticed.

During these days in the mansion, he continued working on his wandless magic, furthered his studies in Herbology and CoMC, received tutoring in potions and kept up with his physical training. He would also do all his homework for his current school classes during his mansion hours, giving him extra time to patrol the school, keep an eye on Miss Perks, Malfoy, and even spend some time with students of other houses and other years, without it affecting his marks. It also gave him time to spend with Susan.

He never told Susan about Potter Mansion, however. He still wasn't totally sure about their relationship. She was fun, hot and great to spend time with, but time with her, for him, was an escape from his responsibilities as the eventual saviour of the wizarding world. She knew Harry Potter the teenager, student at Hogwarts, but she really had no idea who Harry Potter, Heir of Gryffindor was, nor did he want her to find out. With her, he didn't have to think about it. With her, he could just be someone else.

So he told his friends not to mention it to anyone, even Susan, it was a secret to be kept just between the seven of them, Remus, Tonks and Dumbledore. Harry didn't want anyone else to know, at least not for a while. Not until someone new could prove to him that they could be trusted.

On Friday and Saturday nights, he'd invite the group to join him. They never asked if he went more often on his own, and he didn't offer to tell them. They were just happy to get the extra time to catch up on homework, and spend time with each other away from class. Ginny and Hermione especially, this being Ginny's OWL year, and Hermione, with her two NEWTs coming up, were extremely grateful for any extra time they could get. The only exception to this rule had been the night of September 19th. Since it was Hermione, Athena and Demeter's birthday, he had invited them all to Potter Mansion for the night, giving the 3 girls and his other three friends a full day of celebration. The gift exchange that had come as the biggest surprise had been Neville's gift to Demeter. He had presented her with a beautiful, and rare, magical flower. She had been so excited that she threw herself at Neville and gave him a big hug worthy of Mrs. Weasley, before kissing him on the cheek. Realizing what she had done, she separated from him shyly and both of them proceeded to blush several shades of crimson, much to the amusement of their friends.

On their days spent together in Potter Mansion, all seven of them also trained for a few hours. Their time thus far had been used to bring Athena, Demeter and Neville up to the point the rest of them were at as far as training goes. Soon they'd be able to move on, and focus on more tactical and team related combat.

On just such a Friday night, the last one in September, Harry and Neville were out in the Mansion's garden, doing some Herbology homework.

"Harry, I have a question for you." started Neville.

Thinking that Neville's question was centered on Herbology, he told him to go ahead.

"Dueling club is basic, and holding everyone who had been in the DA back. Also, even though DADA is great, we're not learning much along the lines of team work, and fighting a war. If something isn't done about this, we're all toast when Voldemort attacks the castle. Can you please start up the DA again? I know you told Dumbledore you wouldn't, but you don't have to tell him. All of the old DA members really need it." said Neville sternly, looking Harry in the eyes.

Harry was stunned. Even though he had spent a month and change with this new and direct Neville, he was still surprised every now and then by his demeanor. Remembering Demeter's thank you, however, he realized that this was still the same old Neville he'd always known, just one that was growing up and gaining some confidence. Thinking that he might have had even a small hand in helping Neville come into his own made him smile slightly.

Harry had been thinking the same thing as Neville ever since the first Dueling Club session, he just wasn't sure it was the best way to go about things. Thinking for a second, he then replied, "You're right Nev. Dueling club isn't helping at all. I guess I've realized that all along, but I just didn't think anyone else noticed. All the DA members seemed to be enjoying it."

"Of course they're enjoying it! They're so far ahead of everyone else, they win all their matches, and all the others keep going to them for help."

Harry just nodded. "Alright Nev. Do you think you could finish up here? I need to go inside and talk to the others."

"No problem Harry, and thanks."

"I'm not promising anything yet, I just wanna see what everyone else thinks. I'll think of something. See you at supper." said Harry as he made his way back inside, deep in thought.

* * *

In his private study, Harry started to go over the logistics of restarting the DA. Neville was right, there was nothing at Hogwarts at the moment focusing on training students for an invasion, or for war at all for that matter. The Dueling club was a joke. After a month, meeting twice a week, the group had just finished with expelliarmus and the protego shield. The DA members, and admittedly anyone who got at least an acceptable on their OWLs, were well past that point. 

Neville hadn't been the only one to tell him to start it back up again either. Ron and Hermione had come to him earlier that day, and when he went and talked to Ginny afterwards, she was in complete agreement with the others and said that her recently acquired boyfriend, Justin Finch-Fletchy from Hufflepuff, had also expressed a desire to get it started up again. Even Athena and Demeter thought it was a good idea.

So what Harry needed now, was to initiate an advanced dueling club that didn't just focus on one on one fighting, but also group dynamics and strategy when fighting multiple opponents, specifically, when defending Hogwarts.

Looking up at the portrait, and noticing Godric was there he asked, "Godric, if...'someone' were to start an unsanctioned dueling club that had been expressly forbidden by the Headmaster, where would that hypothetical 'someone' find a suitable place for it where about 40 to 50 people could gather and not arouse suspicion?"

"Hogwarts is a big school, and we had many more students near the end of my tenure than you do now. Even then we weren't using the whole castle, so I'm sure there are spaces large enough and well enough hidden to accommodate such a group."

"But how would that person find a place like that in the first place?" asked Harry.

Godric smirked, "Well...if this hypothetical someone was say...you, you could just go to my private study in Hogwarts were I keep a full map of the school. Of course, if it was anyone else, they'd just have to keep searching until they finally found it."

"Your office?" asked Harry, "But I can't go into the Headmaster's office, then he'll know something's up. Especially if I ask him to see a map that I'm not supposed to know exists."

Godric laughed, "That would be rather suspicious, wouldn't it? Luckily for you, I didn't say the Headmaster's office. The map he uses was made long after my time there. One of the former headmasters was telling me about the desk map of the school he created to keep track of all the students and teachers. But that map is incomplete. I dare say that your Marauder's map is more comprehensive than the one the Headmaster has on his desk."

"He has a map on his desk? That could pose as a problem, unless I was able to befuddle it. Though that does explain how he always knows who's at his door." said Harry with a sly smile.

"Ooops...I guess I shouldn't have told you that." admitted Godric with a wink.

"So you're saying the Headmaster's office wasn't yours?"

"Nope, that was actually Rowena's office. Only Rowena, Helga and Sylviana knew where my office was, and from what I was led to believe, after I died they just left it and never returned."

"How would you find that out if it was after you died, and who's Sylviana?" asked Harry, a little confused.

"Oh, my daughter told me, the portrait, about it. That way I knew there was a safe place for my heir at Hogwarts should he ever need one." explained Godric. "and Sylviana was my wife." he admitted sadly.

Nodding in understanding, and not delving further into a subject that was obviously painful for the portrait, Harry moved on, "Where is it located then?"

"Now that's the million galleon question! To be honest I have no idea. For one reason or another, that's one of the memories that I haven't retained" admitted Godric.

"How convenient." sighed Harry sarcastically.

"It's not that big a deal, just ask Hogwarts. She'll tell you." said the portrait.

"What? How?" inquired Harry.

"Harry, I know you feel her and I know you've already spoken to her. She told me when I was visiting the portraits that you had thanked her once before. Just ask. She'll show you."

"Fine." sighed Harry, realizing that he wasn't gonna get any more out of his house's namesake. "If I've learned one thing over the years, it's never go to a headmaster of Hogwarts if you're looking for a straight answer. Is being vague a prerequisite for the job?" asked a sarcastic Harry.

Godric merely chuckled as he rose and left his portrait mumbling something about finding more 'pleasant' company.

* * *

The next morning, after breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry walked around Hogwarts trying to figure out how to do it. 

"Um...ok" started a slightly embarrassed Harry, who was seemingly talking to himself. "Um...Hi Hogwarts. I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind showing me where Godric Gryffindor's private study is...please."

"Hi Harry." came a pleasant voice beside him.

"Hi Luna. What can I do for you today?" he asked, slightly disappointed that Hogwarts hadn't answered him.

"Nothing. I'm here to help you." said the ghostly girl plainly.

"Help me?" he asked.

She nodded her head emphatically, causing her spectral bottle cap earrings to dance about wildly.

"Thanks...how exactly?" he asked.

"Hogwarts asked me to show you were Godric's study was. If you want another ghost to show you, I'm sure they wouldn't mind." she said in her usual dreamy state.

"Not at all Luna. I'm glad she asked you to do it. You'll have to thank her for me."

"Why don't you just thank her yourself?" she asked, seemingly confused.

"Oh, right." Then looking up he said a clear, "Thanks Hogwarts." This caused Luna to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked a confused Harry.

"You are, silly. She's not above you." she explained, "She's not in any one place at all. Her presence is everywhere in this castle. And even some times outside of this castle, but not often."

Harry just nodded. He still didn't understand exactly, but he doubted Luna could be any clearer then she already had been.

"So?" she asked.

"So...what?" asked Harry in return.

"Do you want me to show you his study? Or did you want to go hunting for the sneakle borbots. I haven't been able to find them yet. I bet they're in the Chamber of Secrets. It was charmed so we couldn't go near it. That's how the others couldn't tell the headmaster where it was." she explained.

"Why don't you show me to Godric's office first. Maybe the map he has in there will be able to help us find them." he said, hoping to appease her.

"Ok. Follow me." she said before drifting down the hall towards Gryffindor Tower.

He followed her down the main corridor to Gryffindor tower, but instead of going up the stairs that led to the entranceway, she turned right down a side passage that Harry had personally never been down, despite it's proximity to his house.

Turning another corner, Harry noticed a magnificently carved Lion, easily twice as large as a normal one. Lifting its head as Harry approached, the Lion looked directly at him, and then let out a silent roar, which Harry felt, even though he wasn't able to hear it. It was like someone had turned the bass up really loud on a stereo, he could feel it rumbling in his stomach, but there was no actual sound accompanying it.

The lion then stepped aside to reveal a staircase that began to rise, much like the one leading up to the headmaster's office, which he climbed onto.

Once he reached the top, he stood facing a large willow wood door. He was about to push it open when Luna spoke.

"I can't follow you in Harry, just to let you know. Just like the other founder's private quarters, none of the ghosts can enter it. The headmaster has altered the ones in Miss Ravenclaw's so that we can enter when he invites us, but I don't know how he did it." she told him.

"That's alright Luna, I should probably go in alone at first anyways. I'll try to find a way to let you into it once I've checked it all out." he said to her. She smiled and said goodbye before drifting through the wall behind him.

Slowly, Harry pushed the door open.

Taking quick stock of the room he noticed that either the elves have been cleaning in here, or it has self-dusting charms on everything. The large desk was solid Oak, and finely polished. The chair appeared to be quite comfortable. Looking around the room, he saw 2 doors, but what really caught his attention, was the wall that faced the desk.

It was approximately ten feet high, and twice as wide, and on it was what appeared to be a three dimensional magical map of all of Hogwarts (minus the chamber of secrets), and many different little flags moving about on it, much like the Marauders map only much, much larger and detailed.

He saw that Albus was currently in his office with Snape, and professor Flitwick was in his private quarters, which had a secret passage leading from it to another staff room that wasn't in use, and according to this map, it hadn't been opened for over 500 years. All passwords were located on it, along with many pass-worded rooms that Harry didn't even realize existed.

After searching for a bit, he found Helga Hufflepuff's private quarters, though out of respect for her he wouldn't go to it. Though what he found amusing was her middle name. "Susan" he said with a smile.

Upon uttering the name, a door appeared on the wall to his left with a badger on it. Wondering if it was what he thought it was, he looked for the headmaster's office, it read 'Rowena Sarah Ravenclaw'. To test his theory, he said, "Sarah". Suddenly, next to the door with the badger, appeared one with a raven.

'I wonder if the opposite holds true.' he thought. He'd have to test it the next time he was in the headmaster's office, but first he needed to find Godric's middle name. Searching the map, he finally found it and started to laugh. "Eugene? Oh that's precious! I can't wait to tease him about that." he mused to himself.

He walked over to the bookshelves on the wall where the doors had appeared and began to peruse the titles. There were quite a few on wards for large areas, magical buildings, books on enchanting items and also many magic theory books that Harry had never heard of. But the one that truly caught his attention was titled 'Hogwarts: A Mystery'. Instead of taking it out, he decided to save it for later, and moved on with his inspection. Coming up to the desk, he saw many scrolls strewn about it. Some were student essays by the looks of it, one appeared to be an official invitation of sorts and there where many others.

Leaning up against the bookcase was something that caused Harry's heart to skip a beat. In front of him was a staff covered in runes with a large, round sapphire on the top, about the size of his fist. It appeared to be made out of holly, with gold fused into it, like veins of ore in a rock face. Harry even recognized some of the runes: honour, courage, strength, power, and others.

He reached out to touch it slowly when a feminine voice from behind him spoke, "I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

He whipped around with his wand drawn and a powerful curse on his lips to see a portrait of a woman on the wall with the entrance door, which he hadn't looked at yet.

"It reacts very badly to anyone but Godric." she said matter-of-factly, with a sad smile.

Lowering his wand, but silently berating himself for letting another portrait surprise him, he asked, "Who are you?"

She smiled at him, "My name is Sylvania, Sylvania Gryffindor."

**

* * *

AN:** I REALLY wanted to end the chap here...it's such a nice break. But alas, it would have been too short. So think of this as a commercial break. Run and get some popcorn, or maybe something that wont get your fingers too greasy to use your keyboard (personally, I could really use a Pepsi), and sit back an continue reading.

* * *

"Who?" asked a bewildered Harry. 

"Sylvania Gryffindor." she said again with a larger smile.

"As in Godric's wife?" he asked with a smile and a little excitement.

"That would be the one." she admitted. "But please, don't judge me too harshly, I was young and foolish when I married him." she added with a wink, trying to hide the grief she felt at not having seen him for a long, long while. Though she was only a portrait, she could still feel the loss.

Harry just smirked, "Now I see why he likes you so much. You have the same sense of humour he does." he said with a grin.

It took a couple of seconds before she realized what he meant by that, "You mean...you know him? But how's that possible! I was there when he...when he died." she said confused, and sad.

Harry waved his hand, casting a quick spell, and received the desired results. Smiling to himself, he took out his cube.

"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"Where would I go? This room is isolated form the rest of the castle. I've been here for almost 1000 years. I can't even go to other paintings. I don't think you'll have to worry about that." she said sadly and with a tinge of sarcasm.

Harry's heart went out to her. Even though she was just a portrait, a thousand years is a long time to be alone. I guess she did a lot of sleeping.

"I have a feeling that's all about to change." he told her with a smile before solving the cube and putting it up against the wall behind the desk. "I'll be right back."

With that, he entered the door, and the portrait sighed, "Alone again."

* * *

"GODRIC!" Harry yelled as he entered the house and ran to his study. 

"What is it Harry? What's wrong?" asked the concerned founder.

Harry grinned and grabbed the portrait before he could leave it. "What's going on? Where are we going this time?"

"No time to explain. You'll see for yourself when we get there." said the teen as he dashed back out of the room.

* * *

The new door in Godric's office bust open again, and Sylvania saw the young man come back in the room with a large portrait. 

"Where did you go? And what's that?" she asked, before hearing a quiet voice come from the other side of the painting.

"Sylvania?" it asked. She recognized the voice immediately and her eyes started to water. "Godric?"

The smiling teen turned the portrait around to reveal an equally overwhelmed Godric Gryffindor.

Harry hung Godric's portrait next to Sylvania's and smiled as he watched Godric leap over his chair and dash into the painting next to him. The two portrait people embraced long and hard, both of them with tears of joy in their eyes.

Slowly Godric looked up at Harry.

"Harry, I don't know how to thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me." said the founder's echo, quietly.

"It's the least I could do, besides, it was you who told me to come here. I never would have found her otherwise. You should be thanking yourself." he said, his eyes all a twinkle. "I'm just gonna be over here looking at the map, then eventually I'm gonna leave to find my friends. I'll leave you two there for a while. Next time I'm here, just let me know when you want to go back to the mansion, and I'll take you. I just figured you'd want some time to yourselves first."

"Harry is it?" she asked, getting a nod from her husband before looking over at the young man, "thank you." she said in all honesty, happy again for the first time in a thousand years.

He left the two to talk, and headed to the map. He found exactly what he had been looking for after about 15 minutes of searching.

With a smile he turned to leave, but was interrupted by Godric.

"You should take that with you." he said, motioning to the staff. His wife looked confused, but he told her he'd explain later.

"It's too big, I'll be back for it later." Harry explained.

"Just pick it up and say '_diminuer_'" said Godric.

Not understanding, Harry did what he was asked anyway. Upon touching it, he felt the connection, a stronger one then he had felt with his own wand.

"_diminuer_" he said, and watched as the staff shrunk to the size of a wand. He looked up in surprise at Godric, who was just smiling.

"From what I remember, it's not as powerful in that form, but it makes it much easier to carry, and less conspicuous...well...except for the fact that the wood is still inlayed with gold, that it has a small Red Sapphire embedded in the handle." he added with a smirk. "If I remember correctly, there's also an extra wand holster in the dresser in my room which is behind that door." He said motioning to one of the doors on the wall behind his desk.

Harry went in and found the holster, strapped it to his other forearm and placed Godric's wand in it. He folded up the door to the mansion, and said his goodbyes before leaving the two portraits to their own devices.

* * *

Exiting Godric's office, he sent a quick mental message to Ginny, asking her if she could get the mansion group to meet him outside the Gryffindor common room in 15 minutes. She agreed and told him she'd see him there. 

Fifteen minutes later, the triplets, the Weasleys and Neville were waiting for Harry outside the portrait.

"Did he tell you what it was about?" asked Hermione.

"Nope, but he was really...happy." she said. She had lied a little and told them that she had ran into him in the hall, obviously not wanting to tell them that she was a telepath. Luckily, Harry's emotions had been so intense, that they had come across the link rather strongly.

"I wonder why he just wanted the seven of us. It must have something to do with the lair." reasoned Ron. They had taken to calling Potter Mansion, 'the lair' in order to throw off anyone who might be listening, that way they could speak relatively openly about the mansion, and not worry about who might have been able to eavesdrop. Even though they took this precaution, they were still really careful about who was around when they did speak of it.

Harry rounded the corner soon after with a very large smile on his face.

"I found it." he said.

"The staff?" asked Neville.

"The ring?" asked Athena.

"The sneakle borbot's lair?" asked Luna, who had just appeared behind them.

This caused Harry to laugh, and the others to look at Luna with a confused expression. They had all seen her once or twice since school had started, and so her sudden appearance wasn't that shocking to them.

"No, well...yes to the staff, but that's not what I was looking for."

"You found the staff?" asked Hermione rather excitedly.

"Yes, but we'll talk about that later. What I wanted to tell you is that I found a place for the DA meetings and much, much more." he said with a smile. "Come on." he said before turning on his heels and heading down the hall.

They soon reached a corridor that they didn't go down to often, despite its proximity to the common room. It was known as the long way to the Great Hall, since it eventually led there, but took twice as long. The corridor was filled with portraits, who smiled broadly at them as they passed, making it obvious that they didn't get many visitors.

They stopped in front of a rather large one of a Wizard sitting at a desk with a large Gryffindor emblem carved into the front if it. He looked up when he saw the students in front if him.

Harry said, "Open says-a-me" with a grin.

The man in the bowed his head slightly before the portrait swung out and the entrance became visible. Harry ushered them all in quickly and closed the portrait behind him.

"Welcome to the DA common room." Harry said, in much the same fashion as he had welcomed each of them to Potter Mansion.

They were standing in a room that was about the size as the Gryffindor common room, it had a fireplace, a wall of bookshelves and several doors.

Hermione went over quickly to check the books. There weren't many, but the ones that were there were mostly just multiple copies of the prefects' handbooks, a few copies of Hogwarts a history, some journals of previous prefects and head boys and girls, and some class texts, all of which dated back to at least 400 years ago.

The others were just looking around in shock, but after seeing the dates in the books, Hermione asked, "Harry...What is this place?"

He smiled and started his explanation, "This is the old Prefect common room. From what I could find out from the portraits, it hasn't been used in over 400 years. Apparently, some of the prefects back then had been abusing the privacy it gave. Let me give you a quick tour, and tell you what I'm thinking of doing to the place."

He proceeded to tell them that there was a passage into this room close to all four of the houses' entrances. They seemed to be magical portals of some sort, since the other common rooms aren't that close together, but he was at a loss to explain how it all worked. All of entrances into this room were semi hidden, and guarded by a password. He showed them which of the doors led to which common room, and pointed out that each had the animal of its house on it, representing the different destinations. He also showed them a fifth door that led to the staff room, and none of the current staff knew about it.

There were also two rather large bedrooms off of the main room, intended for the head boy and girl. Harry told them how he planed to turn one room into a council office and the other into a library/study room.

There were also two bathrooms, though they weren't as ornate as the current prefects' bathroom.

The common room itself was big enough to hold the meetings, but Harry told them that he had decided to just open up Potter Mansion directly into his Room of Requirement. He wouldn't tell the DA members about Potter Mansion, instead, he would just say that it was a portable Room of Requirement that had come into his possession. He had already tested the room, and besides the doors leading out, there was no links to the magical realm, and so it was safe to open.

He also told them how this could be a place for members of the DA to just hang out, therefore breaking down house rivalries.

They now had their very own common room.

* * *

Moments later, Fred reached into his pocket after feeling a slight warming sensation. He looked at the coin he withdrew, and addressed George. 

"Well brother mine, it would appear that our most esteemed partner and financier has re-called the DA."

"Is that so? Well then, who are we to deny them the pleasure of our company." George added with a grin.

"Indubitably! The coin says it shall be held this evening at 9:30, a half an hour before curfew." informed Fred

With a nod, they went about their work, silently making plans to head out to Honeydukes later that evening.

Similar events were happening elsewhere, as the members of last year's DA made plans to make their way to the Room of Requirement that night to find out why Harry had called them.

* * *

Looking out over the crowd that night, Harry was surprised to see so many familiar faces. Practically everyone had made it to the meeting, even those who had graduated (the twins, Lee, and even Alicia and Angelina) had managed to slip into the school, presumably undetected. He wasn't surprised, however, at the identities of the two had had not made it that night. 

Smiling to the group, Harry started, "First off, I'd like to say that I'm pleased to see so many of you here tonight. As you know, I was asked this past summer by the Headmaster to discontinue the DA." This was met by quite a bit of grumbling, and even some voiced boos. Raising his hand to silence them, Harry continued, "However, I was recently informed by a certain number of you that you really want me to continue the DA and help you train to defend the school as a team, should the need arise." This latter bit was welcomed with many nods and some voiced yas. "So, we" motioning to his seven friends, "have decided to re-initiate the DA." he finished, which was met with full out cheering and joy.

Waiting for the group to settle down, he continued, "We need to cover several things tonight, and we don't have too much time to do it. Before curfew, I have to show you all where our new meeting room will be, since the secret location of this one has been...compromised." again, this was met with grumbles.

"Now hold on." Harry said, "We're not here to point fingers. A mistake was made, and we suffered for it, true. But if the party responsible comes to me and apologizes in earnest, I will probably forgive them, and welcome them back and I expect you to do the same if this happens. We are too few in number to let mistakes divide us. And if we aren't forgiving to those who are honestly looking for pardon, then we're no better then Voldemort." several among them cringed, and Harry even heard a gasp.

"Oh honestly! People! It's just a name! Anyways, first off, we go to the new room. As there are quite a few of us, and a group like this will attract attention if we were all out walking together at this hour, I am going to cast a spell on you all that I have been working on learning this summer." For this, he took out Gryffindor's wand, and cast a spell wordlessly causing everyone, except Harry, to vanish. A few gasped, others yelled in surprise.

"Enough! Ok. I have made you all invisible for a time. For this spell to continue to work, however, you have to keep me in your line of sight. Once you lose me, you'll become visible again, so I would suggest you keep up."

Harry left the room, and headed towards the Hufflepuff common room, as that was the closest entrance. Much as with the Gryffindor entrance, this one was located just off to the side of their common room down an unused corridor. The entrance this time, however, was at a suit of Armor with the Hufflepuff Crest on its shield.

"Open says-a-me" Harry said. A few of the muggle-borns laughed, but other then that nothing was said. The suit of armour stepped aside, to reveal stairs heading down. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a door. Once everyone was inside, the suit of armour soundlessly returned to its original location.

Harry dropped the spell to see the shocked expressions of the people assemble and laughed. "You should see your faces, it's priceless!" a few giggled, others just scowled playfully.

"Welcome to the new DA common room."

Harry proceeded to fill them in on the same things he told his friends. The seven Gryffindors had spent the rest of that day decorating and furnishing the place with the help of Dobby and Stewy. Hermione was hesitant to let them help at first, but after Dobby's crying fit at not being good enough to help his friend the great Harry Potter, she caved, and let him. After which Dobby winked at Harry, to Harry's supreme shock. He'd have to ask Dobby about that later on, though he did find it kind of funny that Dobby had tricked the smartest girl in the school, he wasn't aware that House elves could be deceitful.

They had turned the one bedroom into a library already, though there weren't many books in there yet since that was something they couldn't conjure or have Dobby bring up. Harry was planning a Diagon Alley shopping trip in the near future at which point he'd go pick some up and donate them to the cause.

The tactical room was coming along nicely too, but it was missing the most important feature, the map. Currently they were using the marauder's map, but it was hard to use since it was so small. Harry was going to talk to Godric about making one like the one he had in his office.

The most impressive room, however, was the common room. The room had been decorated in the neutral colours of Dark purple and black with a metallic accent of silver. The Hogwarts Emblem was everywhere, and not one single house crest was visible. Everything that had belonged distinctly to one house had been removed. In the corner was a magical icebox with drinks in it for whenever anyone wanted any. Dobby had volunteered it since the kitchen was getting rid of it having got a newer, bigger one just this year. This one was just the size of a regular fridge, but perfect for their needs. It had a steady supply of cold water, Butter beer, pumpkin juice and Pepsi as Harry had recently developed a liking for the amazingly fabulous muggle cola (in this author's bias opinion), provided by Harry and regularly replenished by Stewy, much to Hermione's dislike. It also had other things like some cold cuts, bread and other snack foods in case anyone wanted something to eat while studying.

"If there is anything else you guys want... within reason," he emphasized looking over at Seamus, remembering his Rum craze from previous years, "then tell me and I'll see what I can do about it. This goes for books, items, food, drinks etc."

Harry motioned towards the couches. Everyone sat and he began the meeting.

"Since we've learned tons of new spells, both offensive and defensive, from Professor Reinblut, I wont spend much time on new spells. This year, we will, instead, focus on team fighting and defense, specifically the defense of Hogwarts. We will go over tactical diagrams and run through many different possible scenarios. We'll learn a few new spells specific to our goals, but not too many. Sorry if that disappoints anyone." No one seemed disappointed at the news, so instead of explaining further, he went on. "There will be a few major changes though, that I do need to tell you about.

"First off, I need to tell you all what I have in mind for the DA as a group this year. I guarantee you now, that you're not all gonna like it, but please bear with me and let me finish before you start shouting your objections. For the last couple for years, the sorting hat has been talking about uniting the houses, and this year took another step in that direction. I have a feeling, though, that if we don't start doing something about it soon, he might take more drastic measures." They all held their tongues, having some idea where Harry was going, but hoping they were wrong. "We need to invite more members into the DA, and we need to start inviting...Slytherins." at this, the whole crowd erupted in a cacophony of yelling and arguing. However, within seconds the room was silent again, but not by choice. Still trying to yell, but finding no sound escaping their lips, they all looked up to see a rather unimpressed and frustrated Harry who was in the process of putting away his wand.

"Well, now that I have your attention again, I'll continue." he said, leveling his glare at the worst of the offenders.

"We NEED to unite the houses. Divided we fall. You heard it as well as I did. And I know for a FACT that not all Slytherins are evil. And if you don't agree with me, then I guess you might as well leave now, because that would mean you think I'm evil since the Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin at my first sorting, and you heard from it yourselves this last welcome feast that it's still a close second for me."

No one was glaring anymore, everyone just sat slack jawed and stared at him in shock, even his closest friends.

_I thought I was the only one..._

'No Gin. I've been as much Slytherin as Gryffindor since the day I got here.'

Then voicing the next part, "The only reason I was put into Gryffindor is because I argued with the hat, and he felt sorry for me. I chose Gryffindor because I had a bad run in with Malfoy and a good one with Ron. Had I met no one on the train ride here, I would have been Slytherin. So think long and hard before you insult one again based only on the fact of their house, cause I wont take it. In this room we are NOT from different houses, or maybe none of you have looked down at your robes since you came in."

Simultaneously, the entire room looked down, and noticed, for the first time, that their house crests had changed to that of Hogwarts'.

"The best part about that charm is that I wasn't even the one to put it on. I noticed it the first time I came in here. This was the prefects' common room when it was created, and it housed the Head Boy and Girl. They were heads of all the students of the school and not just those of their house, so the founders themselves charmed these rooms to remind every single prefect, or person who entered, that they were working for the school as a whole and not feeding their own childish prejudices. This plan is as much their will as mine, so before you go all gun-ho against it, I suggest you think about that."

Lifting the silencing charm, he was pleased to see that no one exploded, and all seemed to be rather pensive at the moment, especially his friends, who had also reacted poorly to the news. Harry had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his lips as he looked over and saw Ron deep in thought. Harry didn't know where this new Ron had come from, but he was really glad he'd come. Moving on, he spoke again.

"Secondly, since we will become all encompassing, we need a new name. Dumbledore's Army is great and all, but if this is to be a unified group, we have to take into consideration that some of the Slytherins aren't big fans of the headmaster, not because they're dark, but because their house has been discriminated against for such a long time, and they've never seen him doing anything about it. Not to mention that we are no longer Dumbledore's Army, but Hogwarts' army. And I, for one, don't want to be called HA, as I don't see this as a laughing matter." He added with a smirk. "So does anyone have any suggestions?"

People thought for a second. Lavender was the first to voice her opinion. "Harry's army"

"Harry's friends" another girl suggested.

"Harry's class." suggested another of the fairer sex.

"Why not just call it 'Harry's Harem' and be done with it!" snorted Zacharias Smith, much to the amusement of all the guys, and embarrassment of most of the girls.

"I don't think you're getting the point," started Harry, "We want something neutral, but something that describes what we want this group to be."

"Why not the Hogwarts Cannons!" suggest Ron enthusiastically, causing all the 6th year Gryffindor boys to groan, knowing full well a bout their dorm-mate's obsession with that particular quidditch team.

"United Front?" suggested Dean, with some murmurs of agreement.

"What about 'The popular people's front'" offered Lee Jordan with a smirk.

"We could be 'The Judean people's front!' " offered Fred in mock seriousness, setting the scene for his brother.

"Fawk off! 'The Judean people's front'... we're 'The Peoples Front of Judea!" responded George in his best John Cleese, much to the amusement of all the muggle-borns, and even some of the pure bloods who had no idea why it was funny, but figured they should be laughing since George and Fred had been the ones saying it.

"Whatever happened to 'the popular people's front' anyways?" asked Harry playing along.

George pointed at Ernie McMillan, who just happened to be standing off to the side thinking to himself, "He's over there."

This time it really was everyone who laughed, much to Ernie's embarrassment and frustration. If anyone had been watching Harry at this point, they would have seen a malicious grin slowly spread across his face, and would have seen the wheels turning in his head. This Monty Python tangent had given him a rather fun idea. 'Oh yes' he thought to himself, 'that will be priceless.' He made a quick note to write down his thoughts for one of his future DADA classes later, before focusing his attention back on the task at hand.

Clapping his hands together, Harry continued, "And now for something...completely different. Any other suggestions?"

"Hogwarts United?" offered Susan, back on a serious note, a suggestion which even more people agreed with.

"Hogwarts Extracurricular Assembly of Volunteer Elites?" asked Hermione innocently, which was met by silence.

"HEAVE?" asked an incredulous Ron.

"NO Ronald, not heave, H.E.A.V.E" she corrected him.

Athena placed her arm over her sister's shoulder, and in mock concern said, "Hermione dear? We're gonna have to have a serious talk about your inadvertent use of inappropriate acronyms for your organizations. But I don't think now is the best time." tongue in cheek, much to the amusement of all. Hermione just pushed the arm off her shoulders and sulked.

"You might want to go so far as a support group for her, Athena." offered Neville, "You could call it the Grangers' Anonymous Gathering." he said with a smirk. "Or GAG."

Fred and George caught on instantly and let out a howl of laughter, as did Lee, Harry and Ron. The triplets, of course were shocked, but the best reactions of all, were the faces of everyone else there who still hadn't gotten to know this more confident Neville.

Hermione just starred in disbelief... "Was I just burnt...by NEVILLE?" she asked in astonishment.

"Neville old boy..." said Fred as he draped his arm over Neville's shoulder.

"...Good show!" finished his twin before doing the same on the other side.

"We didn't think..."

"...you had it in you." They finished, still wiping the tears from their eyes.

After things got settled again, and Neville apologized to Hermione, who only smiled and told him not to worry about it as she had gotten much worse in the past from 'those two' she said in mock anger while pointing at her two best friends.

"Ok...this doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere tonight. Why don't we leave it for now, and talk about it next time. Maybe the other members should be here when we decide on it anyways. Just write your ideas down for next meeting, and we'll pick a name then." offered Harry. Everyone agreed, and they got back down to business.

"Thirdly, we need to decide _when_ we are going to meet. Since we wont have to sneak around as much this year, I was thinking we could set up a permanent meeting time." After some discussion, they agreed to meet again next week, at this time, to figure out regular meeting times. Harry hoped to have talked to at least four of his prospective Slytherins by then. He also asked that every one present to bring a list of three people from their own house, whom they trusted, and felt should be included in the group. He explained that this group, and a few of the new Slytherins, would be the core group, and then there would be a larger one too. This way the core group could help the less experienced new comers, and they could train twice as many students as last year, in a fraction of the time.

"And now for our last order business tonight. Well, it's not really an order of business, it's more like I'm telling you it's happening, and you don't really get a say." said Harry with a bit of a smirk. "Since we are, in essence, a new House in Hogwarts, a house of houses, I decided that we will have our own ghost. And who better then one of the original members of this group, and someone who risked her life for me, and others among us tonight, last year in the department of mysteries, only to lose her life this past summer after being hit from behind by a cowardly, stinkin, low life, son-of-a...Deatheater. I asked Luna Lovegood, and she has accepted." He knew he worded his speech in such a way that if anyone objected, they would feel guilty since she did so much for them, and all they did was ridicule her. "now, being the ghost for this house, she gains some privileges that we can use. Even though the Headmaster doesn't recognize this as a house, Hogwarts does, don't ask me how I know, I just do. As a result, Luna will be allow to listen in on staff meetings, have practically unlimited access throughout the Castle, and so, will become one of our most valuable assets in finding out what is going on with the staff."

Most seemed to nod at this, and no one complained, luckily for them. Harry was a little disappointed though, he had prepared a really long and particularly humiliating speech for anyone who made a crack about Luna. Ah well, maybe another time then.

After this, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone talked for a bit, had a drink and enjoyed the common room for a little while.

"Harry? It's pretty late, and well past curfew, shouldn't we all be getting back to our common rooms?" asked a concerned bushy haired prefect. "Besides, didn't you tell us that Dumbledore had a map like the Marauder's map? Even if he didn't know this room existed, wouldn't he be a little suspicious when everyone in last year's DA wasn't on it?" she asked, now visibly worried.

Harry smiled, "Funny thing about that map of his, Hermione, is that for some...unexplained reason, he's been having problems with it lately. Different sections of the map just keep cutting in and out on him. He's really at a loss, but I head from some reliable sources that he just figures that the map is getting old, and the magic within it is fading. So until he can find the book that teaches how to create one, which hasn't been in the library since the time of the marauders, he'll just have to keep using the faulty one. For example; tonight, he can't see a single student in any of the dorms or in any area within 50 yards or so of each entry point of said dorms. Ironically enough, every entrance to this room is within 50 yards or the common room entrances. Funny how that works."

Hermione just sat there, slack jawed staring at her friend, as did Ron and the twins who happened to be eavesdropping.

"He has..." started Fred

"...a map?" continued George.

Fred and George looked at each other before cracking identical grins,

"Great Man Dumbledore!" said Fred, doing his best Hagrid impression.

"All this time I thought we were just too good to get caught..." said George.

"...but it would appear that we just had a headmaster with a sense of humour." finished Fred.

"Hold on a sec, Harry. Are you saying that you are fudging up Dumbledore's map?" asked a shocked, yet extremely impressed Ron.

"Harry Potter! WHAT were you thinking? What if he finds out? We could get in serious trouble. I could loose my badge..."

"Mione! Breathe!" interrupted Ron as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She stopped suddenly, and turned to look at Ron in anger for being cut off, but meeting his eyes, for some reason she just melted and blushed.

"It's ok Hermione. I'll take the rap. Besides, he won't find out. I'm not doing anything, it's all Hogwarts. She wants this to work as much as I do, and she's helping." Harry explained.

Others had joined the conversation by now. "Do you mean the school is alive?" asked an extremely confused Anthony Goldstein.

"Not so much alive, but yes, sentient to a point. The Founders created her to be like a mother to the students. She has magic that protects us. She can raise and lower shields when she feels it's necessary, and I'm sure a bunch of other things I don't know about. The ghosts and portraits have a much stronger connection to her then we do and that's about the best I can do to explain it, so either you believe me or you don't." said Harry shrugging, not really caring if they thought him a couple cards short of a deck.

No one else questioned it, and the party went well into the night. Harry noticed a couple of Ravenclaws playing games with some Hufflepuffs and a Gryffindor and thought it will be great if he could get a Slytherin or two into the mix.

Later in the evening, Harry set the Map up by the exit doors so that people could leave when they wanted to, and see if Filch was stalking around. Since the next day was Sunday, however, most people didn't leave the common room till about 4am the next morning.

Harry, himself, didn't get back to his room in Potter Mansion till about 6 am. After everyone had left, he set it up in what used to be the old Head boy's room, entered, and promptly fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Phase one of his plan for uniting the school was complete.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks again and keep the reviews coming, 

Farfusmane


	27. New Allies

**Disclaimer: **I am but a walking shadow. A poor player who'll strut and fret his hour upon JKRowlings stage and then be heard no more. This is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (heck...not even this disclaimer's mine ;) )

**Chapter 26: New Allies**

Harry decided not to spend his customary day in Potter mansion since he had gotten in so late, and so emerged near the end of breakfast Sunday morning after having a full night's sleep.

On his way to the Great Hall, he ran into Cho who appeared to be a little concerned, and quite a bit confused. Seeing Harry, she initially made to go the other way, but ultimately turned direction again and headed straight for Harry.

"Morning Harry." she started hesitantly.

Not wanting to make this easier on her, but not wanting to be rude either, Harry replied, "Morning."

"Umm..." she stuttered, while finding her hands awfully interesting, "Harry?"

"Yes?" he answered, keeping his face neutral.

"We...uh...we got your call last night...on the coin...but we weren't sure...well you see...we didn't know if you...or what they...I don't want to leave her...but can she?...I mean...can we..."

Harry just wanted to tell her to spit it out, but he could appreciate how difficult this actually was for her, and so just stood patiently and waited. Also, he was finding the humble and nervous attitude of Cho, miss popularity, quite amusing.

"I guess I'm just trying to ask...canMariettaandIcometoDAstill?" she finally spat out.

Harry took a deep breath before answering.

"Look Cho. I never had anything against you. You were sticking up for a friend and you weren't the one to betray us." he said truthfully, as she cringed at his reminder of her friend's actions, "I have to be honest, I'm a little disappointed that she'd send you and not come to me herself and fess up. If she really is sorry, and really wants to come back, then she has to come, speak to me herself, and tell me to my face. As for you, you are more then welcome to come, but be prepared for a few criticizing remarks, and the occasional glare. As much as I told them to leave you two alone, they're still human and are gonna forget sometimes."

"Told them?" she asked, rather confused.

"Yes. I told them not to treat you poorly should you come to me and ask to be let back in. You both deserve a second chance, but unless she comes to me herself, she wont be welcome back. I hope to see you at the next meeting, Saturday, seven pm. Just ask Michael or Terry, they'll show you were it is." he said, before turning and continuing off to the Great Hall.

* * *

An hour or so later the other Gryffindors started to appear in the Great Hall, much to Harry's amusement. Unlike himself, who had got a full night's sleep, most of them had gotten around five or six hours and it was quite amusing to watch. 

"Hey Ron! Why didn't' you just have a lie in this morning?" he asked his friend as Ron once again tried to stifle a yawn.

"'Mione wanted to get some studying in this morning. She just barged right in and started poking me till I woke up. Then, she made so much noise that none of us were able to go back to sleep again."

Hermione just 'humph'ed but before she could go off on Ron, Seamus cut in.

"Good thing she didn't pull back the covers though, eh Ron?" he chuckled.

Then Dean turned to the others as Ron's ears began to turn a bright red. "He had been so exhausted last night he just stripped down and crawled into his bed in his birthday suit. I would have given ANYTHING to have seen Hermione's reaction had she just whipped his covers off to wake him!" Hermione face now matched Ron's ears, much to the entire table's amusement.

Next to Harry, Susan giggled furiously at the thought, and across from him, Hermione's sisters just smiled knowingly.

Soon Hermione excused herself to go and do some work in the library, not having recovered from her embarrassment. Susan said she'd join her, and told Harry she'd see him at lunch.

Ron was waved over by Anthony Goldstein who was sitting in front of his chessboard. Apparently, Ron had challenged him the night before, and so he made his way over to represent Gryffindor.

Most of the others got up and left too, eventually leaving just Harry and Athena quietly reading at the table.

"Harry?" asked Athena, "Why are you reading a potions text? I thought you dropped that class?"

"I did. But I'm still gonna take the test, so I have to teach myself. It's not too tough, I've had Petrius helping me." he responded, without looking up.

"Oh. Ok." she said, before looking back down to her own book only to look up again after less then a minute.

"How are your other classes going?" she asked.

"Good. I'll be writing the NEWTs for them shortly after Christmas. Not to mention, helping out in charms, transfiguration and DADA has been great." he answered, again without looking up from his book.

"Sounds good." Athena replied, starting to get a little frustrated that he was seemingly ignoring her. She had been trying to capture his interest since they met, but having little success. She knew that she shouldn't be too surprised, it was obvious that most of the girls in the school fancied him and he had never noticed them before either.

"And how's everything going with you and Susan?" she finally asked. She had been hoping to find things starting to go a little cold so she could move in. After all the stories she had heard from Hermione over the years, and now having gotten to know him a bit, she'd been really trying to catch his attention. 'And man can he fly!' she thought.

_That he can. But there's more to him then all that you know._ Said the female voice that had been popping up in her head from time to time since September first. Athena figured it was another student, but wasn't sure which witch it was.

'I know!' she replied mentally, 'I mean...wait a sec...why is it any of your business? STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!'

Seeing her deep in thought, and slightly frustrated he answered, "It's going really good actually. We're having a lot of fun together."

"Good to hear." she answered, before her faced screwed up again, and she let out a sigh of frustration.

Harry then caught a glimpse of Ginny at the Hufflepuff table shooting Athena a smirk behind her back.

'Ginny.' he thought in a mock warning tone, 'that wasn't very nice of you. The poor girl has enough problems being sisters with someone who fancies your brother, there's no point in making her start hearing voices too.'

All of a sudden, Ginny bust out laughing for no apparent reason, much to Justin's and every other Hufflepuff's confusion. Harry too was laughing, though Athena had no idea why.

Lunch was soon upon those people sitting around the Great Hall. Ron was still over at the Ravenclaw table. He was in the middle of a rather intense game with a girl Harry recognised to be in Ginny's year.

'Hey Gin. Who's that girl your brother's playing chess against?' he thought.

_Her name is Laura Whistle. She's in my year. We have Charms together._ She answered.

'He looks like he's thinking pretty hard. Poor guy might have finally met his match.' But just as he thought this, Ron grinned broadly and moved a man. It was all downhill from there for Laura. Seven moves later he had her in Checkmate. He stood up, they shook hands, spoke for a bit, and then he sat back down again and they started another game, much to Harry's surprise.

The others had returned and some had left again as the meal went on. Harry had remained all day for two reasons, first, he had nowhere else he had to be, and second, Sally-Ann Perks had been there the whole time as well.

Over the last few weeks Harry had been keeping a very close eye in her. He knew for a fact that she wasn't in league with Malfoy or the other wannabe-Deatheaters, or Deathnibblers as he called them. She always sat by herself, except for when Blaise or Daphne occasionally sat down beside her. From what Hermione had told him, she never said a peep to anyone in potions except to her partner, and then only comments relating to the potion they were brewing. She reminded him a lot of the way he wanted to be at the beginning of last year: quiet, withdrawn and with no one bothering her. Of course, his friends never allowed that to happen, thankfully. But he realised that she didn't have a Hermione or Ron to lookout for her, she didn't have anyone to pull her back up out of the depression that Harry was so sure she was sliding into.

As Harry was pondering how he would approach her about the DA, she looked up and met his eyes for a brief second. He smiled slightly and nodded his head slightly to say hello, but she quickly looked away.

Apparently Harry wasn't the only one who had been keeping an eye on Miss Perks. About 20 minutes later, Draco Malfoy got up with Crabbe and Goyle, and they made there way over to Sally-Ann's end of the table. The two goons sat on either side of her, and Malfoy sat across. Harry couldn't see his face, but he figured by her reactions that what he was saying wasn't very pleasant.

A couple of minutes later, Harry saw Draco flinch severely in pain, at which point Sally-Ann jumped up and ran out the room. Draco's two baboons were too stunned at their leader's pain to react until she was already at the door. Draco quickly got up, as did his two thugs, and they made their way out of the room, a dangerous glint dancing in Malfoy's eyes.

Having a good idea of what was about to happen, Harry told Susan he had some things to do and that he'd see her at supper, before getting up and heading out of the Hall. Once outside, he took out the map and tried to figure out where they had gone.

Harry soon noticed that Malfoy was talking to Pucey, and then he headed off away from Pucey towards the dot that read 'Sally-Ann Perks.' Harry hurried off after them, trying to close the gap on the lead they had on him, but he knew that they would get to her first. He just hoped Malfoy, in his arrogance, would taunt her first before trying anything, giving Harry enough time to help her.

As he ran, he looked down and noticed that they had caught up with her, putting away the map, and picking up his pace, he rounded the corner to find Sally-Ann lying unconscious on the ground with Crabbe and Goyle about to pick her up. Malfoy stood in front of her with a smug look of satisfaction and perverse pleasure on his face in the process of putting his wand away.

Harry acted before they even knew he was there. He held out both hands, a wand in each (though he didn't actually use them) and dropped the two brutes simultaneously with two silent stunners and then shot a third to the place where Malfoy had been standing.

Much to Harry's surprise, Malfoy was no longer there, having dodged after seeing the other two fall. He was now in a crouch, with his wand drawn, facing his attacker.

They wasted no time with words, or taunts. Instead, they started throwing spells immediately. Harry's shield or robe absorbed every thing thrown, but he still hadn't managed to get one past Malfoy's defenses either. Things remained at a stalemate until Draco decided to up the ante and threw a 'crucio' at Harry, which he dodged. Harry's was slightly taken aback, but didn't let it show, as the spells now being thrown by Draco where either borderline legal, or not even close. Harry didn't even recognise some of them, but knew they were Dark. Harry, surprising Draco, answered in kind. Harry did not use Dark Arts often, but most offensive spells were classified as Dark, and so in order to defend himself properly, he really didn't have much choice.

One of Harry's cutting curses eventually slipped past Malfoy's defenses, and nicked his cheek, while one of Draco's bludgeoning hexes slammed Harry's in the left shoulder.

Sally-Ann woke up shortly after the duel had started, and when she saw the spells flying, was terrified and scurried up against the base of the wall behind her, pulling her knees up into her chest, but was unable to look away from the awesome display of Magic that was taking place in front of her.

They traded blows for another couple of minutes, both thankful that no one else had happened upon this impromptu duel, until Malfoy misjudged his distance from the wall, and stumbled slightly. Harry took his chance and threw a silent stunner at him, effectively dropping his platinum haired opponent.

Harry quickly dragged the three bodies over to a corner, and disillusioned them so they'd stay hidden until they were well away from there. The duel had lasted about 5 minutes, but Harry 's concern was great, since no one else he knew could last that long against him.

Harry quickly used his metamorphmagus abilities to lessen the swelling in his shoulder. It hadn't been hurt too badly, thanks to his robe, but this helped even more, leaving only a dull ache behind. He then went over to an extremely frightened Sally-Ann Perks.

"We better get out of here before anyone else comes." he said, holding out his hand to help her up.

She looked at him hesitantly. He smiled to try and put her at ease, and she slowly reached out her hand to take hold of his. He helped her up, but she stumbled slightly, and fell into Harry. She wrapped her arms around him for support.

She looked up, her eyes full of unshed tears. "I...I...thank you. He said he was going to...and then they were going to after..." her eyes then grew distant and she shivered uncontrollably, before breaking down completely, and crying heavily into his shoulder.

He tried to calm her, "Shhh. It's ok." Then looking around, and realizing where they were, he added, "Let's get out of here before someone else shows up."

Not trusting her to walk, Harry quickly scooped her up in his arms, which was easy as she was only about 5'2" and weighed practically nothing. He didn't want anyone to find them both this close to the Slytherin common room alone with Draco and his cronies missing, so he headed off down the hall.

As he carried her away he asked, "Do you want to go to Dumbledore with this? I know he can help." She shook her head adamantly, but didn't utter a word, continuing to cry in his shoulder.

Harry decided to head to one of the secret rooms that he had noticed on the map in Godric's office, and muttered the password, "lampshade".

The portrait swung open to reveal a small common room setting, with a small couch, fireplace, table and a few chairs.

He sat down in the couch with Sally-Ann sitting on his lap while he continued to hold her. He didn't know what else to do, so he just held her tightly, and let her cry as he used his empathic abilities to send her feelings of compassion and love, just as he did for the little girl in the alley.

Her sobbing slowly ceased and she looked up into his eyes. "You don't even know me, but you came and saved me. Thank you so much Harry, you'll never know how much this has meant to me." she said, as she smiled slightly. Then, she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and kissed him deeply.

Maybe it was the adrenaline still pumping in his veins, maybe it was the forward and upfront nature of the girl before him or maybe it was because he knew he shouldn't be enjoying it as much as he was, whatever the reason, he too wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss.

They continued to kiss for a good five minutes after that. When they parted, they talked a bit about each other, and how Sally-Ann had been coping, all the while she sat on his lap.

He eventually told her about the DA, and how he would like her to join. She was obviously hesitant at first, but said that if he could get a couple more Slytherins in first, then she'd consider it.

They had been there for about two hours, the last 20 minutes of which they had just spent sitting quietly in each other's arms.

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"I know you're with Susan, and that's ok, I don't want to break you two up. But I was just wondering, would you come and see me every now and then in this room? I know I can talk to Blaise and Daphne, even Tracy, but I really like spending time with you. Even if it's just like this. Please?" she asked, looking up into his eyes.

Harry smiled softly. He too had enjoyed their talk. She was witty, and quick. They had had a good conversation about house relations and even about who she thought Harry should approach in Slytherin for the best results. He had genuinely enjoyed spending time with her. It had been different then with Susan. Susan was great and all, and he really enjoy doing things with her, but when it came to good, deep yet witty conversation...well...Susan was still working on that.

"Of course I will. And feel free to use this room whenever you like. If it gets bad enough in Slytherin, you can even sleep here. You and I are the only two people who know where it is." he answered.

She smiled seductively, "Really? So you're saying that no one will find us here?" she said, grinning wildly, and wiggling around in his lap.

"I thought you said you DIDN'T want to take me away from Susan?" he said, playfully with a smirk.

"I don't. But that doesn't mean I don't want to flirt with you mercilessly." she added with a wink, before jumping off his lap and looking around the room.

They spent another hour or so talking about various topics, and the room. At one point, she had asked how he found it, he only answered "Magic" with a smile and left it at that. Wanting to know his secret, but seeing that today wasn't the day she was going to get it, she conceded the argument, saying she'd try to get it out of him at another time and casting him a seductive wink.

All in all she had recovered from Malfoy's attack very easily. Mostly it had to do with the fact that he never actually had the chance to do anything to her, thanks to Harry, but it also had to do with Harry's empathy. Not only did the emotions he sent tend to help people calm down, but apparently, as with Ginny and the little girl, they also seem to be more stable emotionally afterwards. Almost like a form of healing for emotions. Harry decided to look into this more later.

Harry had also, inadvertently, helped her with her depression. She was by no means cured, but it was no longer weighing so heavily on her. She felt a million times better, though still not at her best. She promised Harry to spend more time with Blaise, Daphne and Tracy, and he told her that he'd speak with them as soon as possible about joining the DA, so that she could make new friends as well.

Harry promised to meet her again the next night, for an hour before curfew to talk about the day, and how things had gone. He figured he could spend the time he had once used watching her, to actually talk to her instead (though he would never tell any of his friends what he was doing.) It was actually her that asked him if he wouldn't mind keeping their meetings a secret. She admitted to having enough problems in Slytherin house without people knowing she was friends with Harry Potter. She then got worried about how Malfoy would retaliate, but Harry eased her fears. He told her to stick close to the other two girls at all times, and that Malfoy would only ever attack if she was alone. He also promised to spend some of their time together going over spells and self defense moves so that she could at least get away and go for help if it ever happened again.

She thanked him again and gave him a kiss on the cheek, said goodbye and left the room. Harry left right after, and made his way back to the Great Hall, it was almost supper after all.

* * *

After supper, which he had spent at the Hufflepuff table, he decided to indulge in one of his favorite pass time of this year: 'Peeves watching'. 

Peeves had taken Harry's request to heart and was wreaking havoc on any student who so much as cast a sideways glance at someone from another house.

Harry's favorite incident so far was when he had been walking down the hall with Ron and Ginny on their way to a quidditch practice, and Ron had made a comment about how he found the change rooms rather slimy last practice, and wondered if any Slytherins had been in there lately. Peeves had heard the 'slimy' comment and decided to give credence to Ron's observation by dumping a mop bucket full of green slime on him before cackling loudly and yelling "Who's the slimy one now ickle Ronniekins? Not the Snakes, but the Gryffindor with the forked tongue. Potty wants unity, that mean you too!" before disappearing and leaving behind an upset, but apologetic Ron.

Tonight, Peeves decided to head out towards the library, and Harry followed in anticipation.

A few minutes later, Harry saw as Peeves was setting up over top of three boys who were currently picking on a little first year who was on his way back from the library. It was Christopher Abbot, Hannah's little brother.

Harry couldn't wait for Peeves to act, so he took matters into his own hands.

"Hey!" he yelled, before sending off three jelly leg curses in rapid succession.

The three bullies, turned and looked to see who would be dumb enough to interrupt the three of them in the middle of their fun. When they saw who it was, however, and saw the three spells coming at them, all they had time to do was change their facial expression to one of worry. A second later, they were all wiggling and wobbling about with Jell-o legs and that was when Peeves joined in.

The first thing he did was pour a big vat of honey over them. He then proceeded to rip apart several pillow, causing the feathers to fly everywhere. The three bullies would have run, but the spell had taken that option away, seeing as it was all they could do just to stay upright.

"Three chickens they are to gang up in one so small, and three turkeys too! Cockadoodle doo." cried Peeves as he flew around them a few times and went off, down the hall.

Little Christopher was clinging to Harry's legs, but his initial fear had been replaced by laughter as he saw his three attackers in their current state. As soon as the three boys had been distracted, Christopher had run over to Harry for protection. "Tha..thank you Mr. Potter." he said, letting go of Harry's legs and looking up at his face with gratitude.

Harry smiled and went down on one knee in front of the boy, "Call me Harry. And it was my pleasure. You're Christopher, right?"

The little boy nodded, surprised that Harry Potter knew his name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I know your sister. She's a great witch, and I'm proud to be her friend. If you ever need anything, or if anyone ever picks on you again, come tell me or one of my friends. We'll do whatever we can to help." Harry said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Now, you better head back off to your common room. You don't want to be around when a prefect, or one of the teachers find these three."

"Ok, thanks Harry. Bye." said the little boy before he waved and ran down the hall.

Then turning to the other three, "Have a pleasant evening. I sure hope that spell wears off before curfew, or you might have to explain what happened, and I'd hate to see the three of you getting disciplined for your part in it." he said, before turning on his heels and walking away.

Once around the corner, he made himself invisible, and snuck back to watch the final outcome.

Blaise had been watching the whole scene from the shadows, and once Potter had left, he decided to make his presence known.

"Oi! Zabini! Get us out of here before a teacher shows up." the leader of the trio said.

Blaise knew these three fourth years. The 'leader' of the three was a solid Malfoy supporter, but he always thought the other two to be neutral, or at least unsure.

"And why exactly should I help you? You were the ones foolish enough to be caught, not to mention cowardly enough to gang up three on one with a first year in Hufflepuff. You're nothing but bullies, and deserve whatever you get." Blaise told them smoothly.

"We're not bullies!" said the leader adamantly, "We're Slytherin and it's our RIGHT be in charge."

Blaise looked like he was going to be ill, "You disgust me! We Slytherins don't get what have because of threats and bullying, nor is it because it's our right by birth! We get all these things because we are cunning, manipulative and brilliant strategists. It's people like you who make my job more difficult when we get out of school! People HATE Slytherins because of your kind you who push others around and try to take what they want by force, instead of using the gifts you have. You were placed in this house for a reason! Ambition, cunning, and SUBTLE manipulations. This is the kind of behaviour I would expect from a Gryffindor; brash, headstrong, and unimaginative! Are you sure you're even in the right house?" he asked with a smirk.

Harry could tell he was saying all this to get a rise out of them. His conversation with Sally-Ann had revealed that Blaise was actually a good guy who thought all these divisions fruitless, and counterproductive. Harry had to agree.

"What would YOU know!" spat Malcolm Munch, the leader of the group. "You're just a neutral, you're no better then that muggle loving fool who runs this place, or the mudblood filth..." but he didn't have a chance to finish that sentence as Blaise back handed the insolent brat across the face.

"YOU WILL KNOW YOUR PLACE!" yelled Blaise before continuing in an even, yet deadly tone, "My family has higher pureblood status then yours does, and comments like that can be answered by a legal duel of honour. If I so choose, I could now challenge you to a duel, to the death, for insulting my family and our purity. I will let you go this time because I'm sure that it is only out of your ignorance of the laws of our kind that you would utter something so foolish. But if you truly wish to duel me, by all means, say something else. I highly doubt you would survive since I have been trained thoroughly since I was old enough to hold a wand. Don't you ever wonder why Malfoy leaves me alone? It's out of respect. Both for my house's status and for my abilities, so I would suggest that in the future, you use that pitiful excuse for a brain of yours before opening your gaping maw and sticking your putrid foot in it."

Then turning his attention to the other two, "You two should think long and hard about who you take orders from in the future. This could have turned out much worse then it did, so I would suggest you start thinking for yourself. Power can never come to someone if all they do is feed off of the scraps from another person's table!" They both looked rather ashamed at themselves, and nodded once to show they understood.

"Have a pleasant evening, and give my best to Filch, as I'm sure Mrs. Norris will be here soon, attracted by the smell of honey." added Blaise, before heading off down the hall.

Harry decided to follow and talk to him. Once they were walking down a secluded corridor, Blaise spoke, much to Harry's surprise, "I know you're there. I noticed your presence when I was talking to the idiot and his friends. I would assume by your lack of action that you either agreed with most of what I was saying or are indifferent. This either makes you a Slytherin who isn't under Malfoy's thumb, or someone from another house who not only tolerates us, but also sees the need for us." He took a breath before continuing, "knowing that there is no one from my house who fits that description and owns an invisibility cloak, or has the ability to turn himself invisible, would lead me to believe that you are indeed from another house. I doubt that Hufflepuff would be snooping around and spying, it's not really in their nature after all. A Ravenclaw might, in order to gather information and learn from it, however, once discovered I doubt they would stay around and chance getting caught. This leaves Gryffindor. Most of that house is rather hot headed, and not very accepting, I say most because I know of a couple of exceptions. Since I saw two of those exception in the library before I left, I will assume it is not them. I will guess that I am in the presence of the great Harry Potter. I could be others, true, but having seen your encounter with the three thugs from a distance, I think it's safe to assume that you returned to see the final result."

Then he stopped walking and turned to face where Harry was, "How did I do?"

Harry was impressed. He decided to trust Blaise with the secret of the cloak, and so removed it.

"Quite impressive." said Harry with a smile.

"Thank you." said Blaise with a nod, "and what can I do for you today?"

Harry motioned for Blaise to follow him, and they slipped into one of the nearby classrooms. Harry proceeded to magically lock the doors, scan the room for bugs, silence the lot and throw up some anti scrying and other privacy charms before continuing. He also mentally asked Hogwarts to warn him if a teacher approached the room.

Blaise was impressed with the precautions, and decided that Harry Potter meant business.

Harry motioned Blaise to sit in one of the desks

"I'm sure you've heard of the group of students that my friends and I started last year." Blaise nodded for him to continue, "We have decided to expand and I was wondering if you would like to become a part of it."

"As you might have heard earlier, I am a neutral in this war. I have no desire to have my family attacked, or shunned in economic circles because I have decided to break that neutrality and take sides. As you are the Potter Heir, and if my sources are correct, the Black heir as well, I will, however, give you a chance to sway me. I need to know why I should. What's in it for me, as they say. I am a Slytherin after all, and I'm sure you understand what that means. Whether or not I want to join you is irrelevant, what I need to know is why I_should_ join you."

Harry smirked to himself. This was not unexpected, and to be honest, he often thought along the same lines, however more often than not he let his feelings decide instead.

"In return, I am offering you both the chance to improve your abilities in a safe environment free from prying eyes and ears, as well as improving the abilities of the students in your house that you can trust. I want to invite many, but I want you on the decision making board, if you will. I also offer protection, as much as is possible, within the walls of Hogwarts from me and all in my group for you and all others you wish included from the group of death nibblers in your house. There is also the added benefit that everyone in the group will know you are both trustworthy and fair, helping future endeavors, as we have representatives from the McKinnon, Longbottom, Abbot, Weasley and Bones families, not to mention the Potter and Black families as you have pointed out." Harry explained.

"This is definitely a tempting offer, but how do I know that this 'secure location' you speak of actually secure. Another question I have is why you haven't yet mentioned the name of this group, nor did you list the name Dumbledore in your list of influential families that are associated with your group."

"We are independent of Dumbledore and are currently operating without his knowledge, or approval." explained Harry, surprising Blaise for the first time tonight.

"Explain."

"He asked me directly at the beginning of the year to discontinue the club as he felt that the DADA class and dueling club would be enough to cover anything I would have done. This, however, is not true. My group was well ahead of everyone in the dueling club, save a couple of exceptions such as yourself, and so we decided to start it up again with a focus on group defense of Hogwarts. We are currently conducting meetings in a room that I have found that is not known to the headmaster. As a result, we've decided to rename the group and have not yet come up with a title. The main purpose of this group is twofold: Unite the houses and defend Hogwarts. The hat has explained that if we don't, the school will fall and I am not willing to let that happen." he explained, then continued, "You are aware, that by telling you this, I am also giving you material that you could use against me in the eyes of the headmaster should I not meet the terms that I have promised."

Blaise smirked, "You are more Slytherin then others give you credit for, Potter. I will admit that you have definitely caught my interest, and save for a few concerns, I am tempted to join you."

"Then it should come as no surprise that the Hat tried to put me in Slytherin in my first year until I talked him out of it and had him put me somewhere else." Harry admitted with a smirk, again catching Zabini off guard. "as for your other concerns, lets hear them, and see what we can do about them."

"First of all, how would I get there without raising suspicion. Getting out of the common room isn't a problem, but if I, and whoever else may decide to join you, have to trudge half way through the school to get to the meeting place, our chances of continued success will be slim."

"There is an entrance to the room close to your common room. Each house has it's own entrance close to their dorms in a hidden location. I believe the Slytherin entrance is to the left of your common room, down the stairs, and through a wall, like the one at the train station."

Blaise was impressed, "Ok, that's one down. My other concern would be for my family and our business. Should word of my allegiances get out, they would be made to suffer."

"As for that, I can't help you directly. Financially, I can promise you the business of the Black and Potter holdings and whatever businesses I own. I don't know what I have yet as I haven't really had a chance to get to the paperwork of all that stuff and was planning on doing that over Christmas. Though if it's important to you, I could have it done in a few weeks and we can come to business arrangements at that time." He paused before continuing, "as for their physical safety, I don't know what I can do for them. I know, for a fact, that the new minister is NOT a Voldemort supporter, nor are they neutral. They are firmly on the side of the light. I will not reveal my sources however." He added with a smirk, "should your family approach the minister in private and ask for protection in exchange for secret financial support or possibly supplies for the side of light against Voldemort, I'm more than sure that this can be arranged."

Blaise looked very pensive for a minute and was about to speak when Harry put his hand up and motioned him to be silent. Quickly drawing his wand, Harry dropped all the charms on the room, including the locking ones, tossed Blaise his invisibility cloak and motioned for him to put it on, before quickly conjuring a text book and pretending to read.

The door opened a second later to find McGonagall. "Mr. Potter. What exactly are you doing in this classroom? You know they are off limits after hours."

Looking up, Harry answered innocently, "I'm sorry professor. There were too many people in the library, and the common room was way to noisy to concentrate. I just wanted to get ahead on my transfiguration studying before my NEWTs and didn't want to be disturbed." he said, holding up the book for her to see the cover and title of the seventh year text.

"Be that as it may, you should know better. Next time come to me, or one of the other professors and ask to use one of our rooms. You should not just go into any unused classroom and close the door. The teachers responsible for that classroom will be notified as I was." she explained, and then said with a small grin, "I understand your need for quiet study time. Doing your NEWTs a year and a half early must be a little nerve racking. I will go and talk to the headmaster and see if I can get you an office, or at least the use of a classroom to yourself for your study times. You'll also need it next semester when you take on more responsibilities and have to grade papers and mark tests. You may stay here for the rest of the night if you need to, but please leave the door open when you leave. Good night Mr. Potter." she said before turning and closing the door behind her as she left.

Harry Banished the book and re-warded the room, silently thanking Hogwarts for her warning. That was the first time she had communicated with him directly, and it had felt weird. He had gotten a mental image of McGonagall walking towards the class room, and though he didn't know where she was exactly by her surrounding, he knew she was on her way there. It was odd.

Blaise was in complete awe. Harry had magnificently manipulated McGonagall, of all people. He had played to her pride, by choosing a transfiguration book, and managed to play upon her sympathies by telling her he had tried other places but could not get the work done. He quickly masked his emotions before taking off the cloak.

"That was masterfully done Potter. I can see why the Hat wanted to place you in the house of cunning."

"Thank you." Harry knew that for a Slytherin to say that, it was a high compliment indeed.

"You have convinced me. I will join your group, but only conditionally at first. I will communicate with my family tonight and let them know what you have said. If they agree to this, then I will come to you with my definite answer as soon as possible. If they disagree, then we will continue negotiations. I want my house to regain respect, and I want the younger ones to know they have a choice and I will do what I can to assist in that with or without my becoming a member of your group since I believe that it is in all of our best interests to do so." explained Blaise.

"Thank you. I would also ask if you would be willing to talk to Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis about joining as well. They know and trust you, and it's obvious you are the one they will look up to for advice in your house. They too would be invited to the core group if they accept." Blaise nodded at this and rose to his feet before extending his hand.

Harry shook it, then lowered the wards before saying goodbye and heading back to his dorm. Phase two was almost complete.

* * *

**AN:** As mentioned in the last set of author notes, I have changed the title of this fic to better fit the content. It is now known, as you have probably already read, as 'Harry Potter and the Secret Sanctuary'. I hope that this doesn't cause any confusion. :) 

Anyways...I hope one and all are having a joyous time reading my ramblings. Any questions, comments or queries you might have may be directed to me in the form of a review or e-mail. Reviews are always welcome as they let me know what you're thinking, and as much as I have the majority of the story line written out, I have been known to add a couple of suggestions in here and there.

Thanks again,

Farfumsane.


	28. October

**Disclaimer: **Not my house, just my furniture. Oh...and I'm not getting anything for it either.

**Chap 27: October**

Harry decided not to waste any time and so the next evening, the night of the 30th, he flashed over Grimmauld Place to see Remus.

Seeing that he wasn't in the kitchen, he searched the rest of the house to find him on the roof again. He snuck up behind him and spoke.

"You seem to like it up here. Maybe I'll just show up here on the roof whenever I come over looking for you." Harry said with a smirk.

Surprised, Remus jumped up, and whipped around with his wand drawn, only to smile when he realized he almost hexed Prongs son...well...tried to hex. He highly doubted he would have been able to hit him. It had been a while since they dueled, but Remus knew Harry was keeping up with his studies, and figured it would be darn near impossible to get the better of him now.

Then with a mock scowl he asked, "shouldn't you be in school?"

Harry just ignored the question, and seeing the bottle of firewhiskey beside the muggle lawn chair that the old wolf had been sitting in, he asked, "What are we celebrating?"

Remus smiled, and answered, "It's actually a premature celebration." he admitted, "I tried the new potion that Matthias and I had been working on, the 'Improved Wolfsbane' and I'm pleased to announce that I experienced very little pain in my transformation the other night. At most, it was a dull ache as opposed to excruciating torture."

"Congrats!" smiled Harry, "But why are you calling it a premature celebration. That's great news in it's own right."

"True," the marauder admitted, "but I already celebrated that last night, so tonight I needed a new cause for my revelries." he explained with a sly grin.

"And what might that be?" asked Harry.

"Well, a revelry is a celebration of great merriment and..." but his patronizing tone was cut short and he found it impossible to utter a sound.

"You know full well what I meant. What is your cause for this revelry?" clarified Harry, before discontinuing his wordless and wandless silencing spell.

"That was incredible. You didn't even move, you didn't even look like you were concentrating. Although that really shouldn't surprise me, I think the last time you actually concentrated that hard on something you were..." he would have kept going, but was again cut short by silence.

"Are you going to answer my question? Or am I gonna have to keep shutting you up?" Harry asked with a smirk.

Moony grinnedraised his hands in surrender and Harry dropped the spell.

"I don't know if I told you or not, but this summer, before starting to train with you, I had been negotiating with a large group of werewolves on behalf of the Order." Remus explained, " They had been sitting on the fence for some time now, but nothing we offered seemed to be able to sway them. I'm celebrating for two reasons. First, now that we have Emmeline Vance, the Ex-Head of the Unspeakables and order member, as minister, all the anti werewolf legislation will be in the garbage bin as of tomorrow, which should help to convince the pack of our sincerity, and secondly, if they don't care about their social standing among wizards, we now have a potion that will make their transformations relatively painless, and allow them to have complete control. This means no more being worn out the next day, and they'll be able to go to work the day after a full moon without the usual inability to focus or lift anything heavier them a glass of water."

"That IS good news." said Harry, "When are you going to talk to them again?"

"Not until after the next full moon. I want to make sure that the potion is actually all it appears to be, and not just a fluke. I have a few volunteers for the next full moon, and until then we, the order, have a few people in the research and development department of the Unspeakables testing it to see if there are any adverse side effects."

"Sounds good. Now, the reason I'm here is that I was wondering if you would be able to..." without warning, Harry dove to his left right in the middle of his explanation as a bolt of red light zipped past where he used to be, and slammed into Remus.

Before he had even landed, Harry sent off a full body bind in the direction of the source of the spell, and then cast a protective shield around himself. He hit the ground in a role, and came up facing his would be assailant, wand outstretched and read for a fight.

Before him, under the full effects of his full body bind, was a disillusioned figure. With a thought from Harry, the concealment spell was dropped to reveal a frozen Tonks.

During their training time in the Mansion, both Tonks and Remus had repeatedly tried to get the jump on him, only rarely ever succeeding, and that was only within the first two weeks.

Grinning, Harry sauntered over to the completely lucid, yet totally incapacitated metamorphmagus and slipped her wand out of her hand. He then took a step back, eyed her up and down, as an artist would and empty canvas, and raised his wand to begin working his 'magic'.

But the time he had finished, Tonks was dressed in a canary yellow Tutu, stood on a small platform that rotated slowly, frozen in the classical ballet pose with the music to the 'nutcracker suite' floating in the air. The scene was made much more amusing by the fact that Tonks was so angry with him that her hair was constantly changing colours, since that was the only thing she could do to express her displeasure since she was unable to move.

He stepped back again to admire his handy work, before flashing back to his room in Hogwarts, grabbing his camera, flashing back, and taking a few pictures from various angles.

He then walked over to Remus and'innervated' him to allow him the chance to enjoy the view as well.

"That is quite the outfit Tonks." whistled the old wolf upon seeing her in her skin tight, yellow leotards.

Her face was now a bright shade of red, which against the yellow outfit, and the rotating coloured hair resulted in quite an interesting effect. Neither were sure if it was out of anger or embarrassment, but Harry wasn't about to unfreeze her to find out.

Deciding to let her stew for a bit, Harry decided to continue with Remus where he had left off.

"As I was saying, I was wondering if you would be able to go to the Black vault and remove all information on the companies that we own and deal with. I was just thinking that since the Blacks were...less then reputable in life, it would make sense that many of their business partners were supporters of the Dark, and I really don't want be helping any of them in any way." he explained.

"That makes sense. I'll go over first thing tomorrow and get what I can. I'll bring it back here and go through it. Dedalus Diggle is a wizarding attorney and we should be able to muddle through it. Slip by next week and we'll see what there is and make decisions from there."

"Works for me. That was all I needed tonight." Harry admitted with a smile. "I'll see you next week then."

Harry was about to flash home before Remus stopped him. "Um...Harry? Are you just gonna leave her like that?" he asked, motioning towards Tonks.

"Until I'm out of here? Heck ya! Do you _really_ think I want to be around when she has the ability to speak? I think not! Here's her wand. I'll free her as soon as I'm safely back at Hogwarts." Harry said, as he handed Remus the piece of wood.

"Could you give me 5 minutes to hide?" asked Mooney hopefully causing Harry to laugh heartily.

"You better start running now then." laughed Harry.

Remus started running for the door that led into the house when he skidded to a stop, turned around, ran back to his chair, grabbed his bottle of firewhiskey, and ran back towards the door again. Harry laughed even harder at this then the wolf's worried expression.

Harry flashed back to his dorm room moments later, placed his camera in his trunk, and flashed to Godric's office where he had taken to setting up his mansion every night before solving the cube and going home to bed.

* * *

After Harry's day in the Mansion, he was fully refreshed and ready for one of the most important events of his semester: His first big prank. 

He had decided that 30 or 40 people were not a big enough target for him. He had something much more devious and all encompassing in mind.

That morning, before breakfast, Harry had slipped down into the kitchen invisibly, and slipped his little potion into the large vat of pumpkin juice. He knew that not everyone drank pumpkin juice, but the majority of the school did, and that would get him at least several hundred victims. Having planned been planning this for a quite some time, he had stopped drinking pumpkin juice at breakfast about two weeks ago, settling on orange juice instead. The potion had to get into the bloodstream rather thoroughly to take effect, so the results would not be evident until lunch time at the earliest.

Breakfast was uneventful. Harry and company chatted about various topics. Hermione was still rather floored that she would be able to take the Arithmacy and Ancient Runes exam early with Harry, though she was extremely thankful since she wanted to take an overload of courses next year in order to write every NEWT except Divination, and this would reduce the total by two.

It was after breakfast, and during their double charms that morning, that the potion started taking effect.

Harry was in the middle of his TA duties, helping Megan Jones, a Hufflepuff Sixth year, with the drying charm that they were learning that day. She was having problems drying the cloth entirely without setting it on fire for some reason, when all hell broke loose.

Ron was the first one to have it affect him, probably because he had consumed so much more pumpkin juice then anyone else. All of a sudden he started shrinking.

By the time he had finished, he was exactly half his normal height. His bodily proportions were all the same, so he could move the same as before, except now, he was little taller then three feet, where clothes meant for someone who was over six.

The professor gasped, as did other students, until one by one, they all shrunk down to half their size, including Professor Flitwick. The only students in the class who remained their original size were Harry, Ernie, Dean and Seamus.

"What is the meaning of this?" squeaked Professor Flitwick in an even higher pitch then usual towards Dean and Seamus.

"I don't know professor." started Dean, "It must have been something in the food at breakfast since Seamus and I slept through are alarms and missed it."

Hermione was glaring at Harry accusingly, since she knew he was there this morning, though it wasn't as intimidating when she only stood about 2'10".

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked with a straight face, and feigning ingnorance.

"You were are breakfast, I saw you eating!" she squeaked, before covering her mouth with both hands.

Her voice was at the exact same pitch as the house elves, though she was far more articulate.

Doing his best not to laugh, Harry said, "So was Ernie! What's your point? It must have been in something I didn't eat," and then bending over to talk to her more quietly, "or more likely, my body's magic countered it before it could take effect. You should talk to Tonks and Remus about how many of their weaker pranks didn't even work on me." he bluffed, hoping she wouldn't take him up in that.

His answer seemed to appease her, so he decided to look around and see what havoc the half pints would cause.

All around the room people were stumbling and tripping on their robes. Some couldn't lift their school book as they were almost the same size as them.

Hermione scowled and tried to reverse the prank using a 'finite incantatem'. Nothing happened. She decided to try a more advanced Growth Charm that was beyond Seventh year material.

Bad idea.

She proceeded to shrink by half again and now stoodless thena foot and a half tall.

She was definitely not impressed now, and sent a melting glare at Harry who was doing his best to contain his laughter. He had planned for something like this. Any simple spells didn't have any effect, where as more complex ones would just make the matters worse. The potion would wear off in about 12 hours, so in the middle of the night when people were wearing loose fitting clothes or as they had all heard recently, in Ron's case, nothing at all.

She was doing her best to keep her clothes from sliding off her completely. Harry volunteered to hold up her school gown as she magically shrunk most of her clothes to fit. When she was finished, she shrunk her robe and put it on, and then her book bag too.

By the time the class was over, everyone was wearing clothes that fit (kind of) and were prepared to face the rest of the school for lunch.

Harry had offered to carry Hermione, but she shot him a dangerous glare. However, when it became apparent that in her diminutive form, she could not keep up with anyone, she agreed.

When they entered the Great Hall, Ginny burst into gales of laughter. Ron, Neville, Athena, Demeter and Susan all stood around Harry, only coming up to his waist, and cradled in his arms like a little baby was Hermione. Ginny, who had not been affected for some reason, was now having a heck of a time sitting upright. She had slid of her bench and ended up half under the table, as Daddy Harry, led all his little ones to their place at the table.

Harry found it interesting to note that the only ones who were unaffected by his prank were either muggleborns or halfbloods, as everyone else, apparently, drank pumpkin juice exclusively.

Even the staff had been affected. The only teachers who had escaped were professor Snape and the muggle studies professor as he tried to set an example at meals by eating and drinking muggle delicacies. Harry could only imagine why Snape had not been affected. He either didn't drink Pumpkin juice in the morning, or he figured out what the potion was and drank a cure. But if that were the case, Harry assumed he would have shared it with the other professors.

The highpitched, yet authoritative, voice of the Headmaster addressed those assembled. "It would appear that we have all been the target of a very amusing practical joke. I have it on good authority that the potion used to accomplish this was slipped into everyone's pumpkin juicethis morning, and it should wear off some time during the middle of the night. I would suggest that those of you who haven't yet, shrink your clothes so that they fit properly, and when you go to bed tonight, wear one of your full sized night gowns."

"Or nothing at all!" yelled out a different high pitched voice from the Gryffindor table, bringing on some laughter.

"For those of you who did not drink Pumpkin juice this morning, I commend you on your diversity, as it was our predictable nature that made this prank possible. I will make sure that the house elves don't cook as much at dinner tonight so that there wont be as much wasted food as there will be today at lunch." he said getting a round of laughter.

"That is all I have to say at the moment. Please, enjoy your meal." he concluded before sitting back down.

_I must admit Harry, this worked out a lot better then I thought it would. Good job._

Harry, pretending to be shocked at her accusation, replied, 'Pardon? I have no idea what you're talking about.'

Ginny snorted out loud before continuing, _Don't give me that! You've been planning this for two weeks now. You don't block your mind all the time. Why do you think I'm the only pureblood here who wasn't drinking pumpkin juice this morning?_

Harry smiled to himself, 'Fine, you caught me. But you can't tell anyone about this. Not even the twins!'

She raised an eyebrow, _Oh really? And what is keeping this a secret worth to you Mr. Potter? This is a juicy bit of information that I know SOME people would pay handsomely for._ She responded casting a glance over at a frustrated Hermione how had given up trying to use the for that was a big as her arm.

Harry sighed in defeat, 'Alright. Name your terms.'

Oh my dear Harry, I'm really gonna have to think about this one. There's just so much I could ask you to: do my homework, extra training, I could get you to dress in drag and sing show tunes, I could transfigure you into a hamster and carry you around in my pocket all day, heck, I could even get you to cut my food and feed me for a month. I just have WAY too many options to work with. Do you have a suggestion perhaps? Something that you think I might want MORE thento utterly humiliate you in front of everyone?

Harry thought for a second and then replied, 'How bout I let you join me in my mansion every night. That would give you 14 day weeks and allow you to get all your homework done, and get some extra training in, besides, I could use a sparring partner.

She practically lit up. _Are you serious? Every night? You'd be willing to let me do that?_

Harry shrugged, 'Sure. Why not? I trust you, and like I said, I'll be getting something out of the deal too. What do you say?'

You got yourself a deal Mr. Potter.

'Good. Now, do you usually sleep with your curtains drawn?'

_Yes, though I don't see how it's any business of yours, unless you were thinking of joining me in bed._ She thought, seductively.

'Actually, I was.' he said, winking at her, 'but not like that.' he clarified.

'I'll flash into your room, inside your curtains every night at 10:50 to pick you up. That way I can then flash you to where I set up the mansion and we can be inside by 11 when I start the spell. Then, the morning we leave, I'll flash you back to your bed just after seven and you can pretend to get up like you usually do.'

_I usually get up at about 7:30, so that shouldn't be a problem. I also cast a locking charm on my curtains so that my roomies can't get in. We don't get along too well, and like my privacy._ She explained.

'Alright then, I'll see you tonight.' he thought in response before finishing his food. He noticed Susan looking up at him lovingly and wanting a kiss. Harry just shook his head, "Sorry Susan, but you like you're about six years old, and that would just be WAY too weird." he saidcausing everyone laugh at her pout.

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully with the exception of Care of Magical Creatures being cancelled for the day. They were currently studying tebos, an ash coloured warthog found in the Congo and Zaire. (1) These creatures are dangerous enough for the students to cover when they are full grown. At this size, it's just an accident waiting to happen.

Harry was sure to document the day rather extensively with his camera. After all, Hermione looked so cute next to Hedwig. They were almost the same height!

* * *

That night, Harry flashed over to Ginny's bed without incident, and brought her to Godric's office, and began setting up the door to the Mansion. 

"Harry? What is this place?" she asked, marveling at the wall map.

"It's Godric's old office. There's also a bedroom over there, a washroom, and a little kitchenette type area off the bedroom." he explained as he moved the cube's sides around.

"Have you searched the whole thing yet? Did you find anything interesting?" she asked as she scanned the titles on the bookshelf.

"I haven't really had a chance. Well, I have, I just haven't made the time to do it. Wanna help me do it tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Sure. We'll have to come a bit early, I'll jus say I'm not feeling well, and I'll head off to bed around 9, that way we can have a couple of hours of searching before going in to the Mansion." she suggested.

"Sounds good. But you can't tell anyone else about this place. You, me and the ghosts are the only ones who know where it is. And you and me are the only ones who've been in it." he told her as he finished off the last side.

"Ok. And Harry?" she asked, as he looked up to meet her eyes, "Thanks." she said, smiling.

He just smiled too, and nodded, before he led their way into the mansion.

* * *

The next night in the real world, as they had planned, Harry and Ginny went through Godric's office: top to bottom. 

They found tons of papers and books, a couple of spare wands, a few rings, another two magical storage balls, like the one he had given Hermione from Potter Mansion that summer, an enchanted pair of gloves, a couple pairs of magical boots, two more magical battle robes, a suit of magical chain mail, a magical dagger, and a bunch of other magical items.

They decided to gather all the papers, books and anything else that radiated magic and bring them into the mansion so that they could have more time to go through them all.

* * *

It took them all of the next day in the Mansion to get through the items alone. 

Harry decided that he would give some of the stuff out to his friends, since it could very well save their lives, but he gave Ginny first crack at all the things he wasn't going to use.

Harry had decided to wear an anti scrying ring, which confused his true location to all forms of magical tracking whether it be map, clock, watch or whatever. He had programmed it to show him at Hogwarts all the time, though they could never get a more specific location then that. He also grabbed one of the pairs of dragon hide boots with had a permanent silencing charm on the soles. Not that he needed the help staying quiet, after all, he could just slip into his kneazle form and pass without a sound, but these would help during dueling and other times with changing forms wasn't an option. He also grabbed a second wand sheathe that was charmed much like his belt and placed it on his other wrist. He now carried his wand in the wrist sheath on his left arm and the wand/staff of Gryffindor on his right.

Ginny looked like Christmas had come early. After asking Harry at least 10 times if he was sure she could take what she thought she'd need, she proceeded to take one of the battle robes, which shrunk to fit her, and then, like Harry's, changed to appear like regular school robes. She took the other pair of Dragon hide boots, that were also charmed like Harry's. She took one of the extra wands and wand holsters. The wand actually worked better for her then the hand-me-down one that she had gotten from Charlie and the holster was charmed to be invisible, so no one would know she had it on. She also took two of the rings. One, like Harry's, confused magical tracking and the other allowed her to breathe normally underwater. Harry had told her that they could go down into the lake sometime and he could introduce her to the merpeople there and she had agreed readily. The last think she took was a bracelet with a phoenix on it what was a portkey to Godric's office. It would bring her there from anywhere, and return her to where she had come. This way, Harry wouldn't have to come every night to get her, and she could slip into the mansion on her own, even after her prefect rounds.

Harry charmed all of her new jewelry to be invisible, at least until after Christmas, when she could claim she had gotten them as presents.

* * *

The next afternoon, in the real world, Harry flashed directly to the room of Grimmauld place, and regretted it immediately. 

There, in front of his very eyes, Tonks and Remus were in the middle of a very serious game of tonsil quidditch.

"Hem hem?" started Harry.

At the sound of Harry's voice, Tonks jumped back three feet and turned an amazing shade of red, where as Remus, just stood there grinning stupidly.

"Would someone care to explain what's going on around here?" asked Harry curiously.

Shyly, Remus started, "I'm not exactly sure myself." he admitted with a deep blush, "Tonks and I were just arguing, and well, one thing led to another and then you showed up...not that I'm complaining." he added with a grin, causing Tonks to once again blush.

"I'm happy for you both, but believe it or not, I didn't illegally leave my school and risk detention or expulsion to be brought up to speed on your love lives." he said with a smile.

"Tonks? I was wondering if I could borrow Remus, and his mouth, for a little while. I need to go over the paper work we talked about the other day." he asked, cheekily.

Tonks pretended to get upset at his insinuation, and proceeded to playfully punch him in the shoulder before telling Remus she'd be in the kitchen when he was done.

The two boys headed to the study where Remus had spread out all of the Black family investments and businesses. Going through the piles, Remus and Dedalus had found a few businesses that were associated with the Malfoy family and one with the Kenley family which was also a family of Voldemort supporters.

Harry told Moony that he had done some 'research' of his own, and suggested that they instead use the Zabini family businesses for their dealings, as they were at worse neutral and this might sway them to have more dealings with the light.

Remus agreed with Harry that it would be a wise investment.He thentold Harry that he would start making the necessary arrangements.

"Now, onto other news," stated Harry, "I have a series of pictures, and a very amusing tale to share with you."

He then showed Remus all of his prank-day picks, and needless to say, Moony was amused.

Remus was laughing so hard at mini-Minerva, that one would hardly have believed that the sight of the diminutive-Dumbledore could make him laugh any harder. But the picture that really sent him reeling was the picture of Harry, Ginny and their kids.

As a joke, they mansion group and Susan had posed for a family photo. Harry and Ginny were sitting as the proud parents, Ron, who was the tallest of the little ones, stood with his arms crossed and grinning behind the two of them with Neville beside him, Susan was sitting on Harry's knee, Athena and Demeter were sitting next to each other on the ground in front, and little baby Hermione was being held by Ginny as if she were a precious bundle of joy.

Remus was laughing so loud that Tonks had come up to see what all the racket was about. Harry filled her in onthe prank (not the fact that he had done it mind you, and after seeing the pictures, she reacted in much the same manner.She convinced him to make her doubles, and once she had them, she rushed out of the room to show anyone who would be interested.

After Remus had dried his eyes one last time, he spoke, "That, my dear Harry, was one of the best pranks I have ever seen. I would have _loved_ to see the look you described on Hermione's face after having cast that spell. I wish you would have had your camera for that."

"Sorry. I didn't know when it would kick in. I had thought it might only start to manifest at lunch, but I was off on my calculations. There must have been lest Pumpkin juice in the vat then I thought. As a result the potion wasn't diluted as much, and so took effect quicker."

"All questions of timing aside, that prank was worthy of a Marauder." he admitted. "And so, with no further ado, I present you with your name."

Extending his wand, much like muggle royalty do with a sword during knighting ceremonies, "I, Mr. Moony, dub thee, Mr. Myth, son of Mr. Prongs, and the first of the second generation of Marauders as a full fledged Marauder, with all the privileges and responsibilities of said position."

"Responsibilities?" asked Harry with a raised eye-brow.

"OK...more like strong suggestions." Moony admitted with a wink. "You have to perform at least one prank a month. You are now allowed access to the marauder's handbook, in which is listed all of our pranks, and instructions on how we became animagi, how we made the map and a bunch of other things we did. Said book is currently up in Sirius' room disguised as a copy of 'Hogwarts a History.'" he explained. "You also have the right to include new members and give them there names should they meet the requirements you did."

"Cool." said Harry, grinning. "But why Myth?"

"Well," started Moony, "We've never had multiple formed animagi in the marauders before, and the name needs to represent your creature, so since you are multiple creatures, it had to represent every one of them somehow. So, since they to muggles all three are 'mythical creatures'. Also, since wizards themselves would think it a myth if they were told someone could turn into three magical creatures I thought it fit nicely."

"Sounds good to me." admitted Harry.

Harry thanked him for all his work, and his new name, and told him to have fun with Tonks, before vanishing right before Remus' fist would have connected with his shoulder.

* * *

Harry had just left one of the longest, Friday morning, double DADA classes he had ever been a part of. Professor Reinblut, though a genius when it came to strategy and psychology, tended to be a little long winded when he got onto the subject of the dark mind. Today had been no exception. 

They had started the class going over the curses and counter curses they had learned the week before, when while going over a particularly nasty curse, Hermione, in all her curiosity asked why evil wizards found it necessary to inflict as much pain as possible on their victims when they were ultimately just going to kill them anyways?

This sent him off on a long, and not overly exciting explanation of human psyche and how, when it becomes damaged, it tends to find pleasure in the suffering of others...or something like that. Even as the TA, Harry had a habit of tuning him out. Reinblut knew his curses, he knew his war, but he did not know teaching.

Harry did have to admit, however, that he had learned quite a bit about dark wizards in Reinblut's class. Harry had been particularly interested in some of the battle strategies that Grindewald had used during his war, and Harry could see some parallels between them and some of the tactics Voldemort had used in his first reign.

Voldemort had been relatively quiet since the kissing of Lucius and the imprisonment of the other Deatheaters. One of the first things the new minister did, along with give the ok to train a minimum of 25 new aurors, was to replace the guards at Azkaban and place the whole prison under the Fidelius Charm. They weren't deluded into thinking that this would keep Voldemort out of it indefinitely, but they were hoping that it would at least buy them some time to train up a new batch of guards and aurors to defend it.

Since his sighting at the ministry, actually, no one had seen hide nor tail of Voldemort. This, of course, was doing nothing to keep Minister Vance from preparing mind you, but it did lead a small portion of the public to think that maybe Fudge had been right, and Voldemort really wasn't back.

Harry didn't like the silence, and nothing covered in DADA could really explain why he was lying low. Usually there would have been some form of retaliation from the battle at the Ministry, but there had been non. There were only two reasons that Harry could think of that would explain why Voldemort had been so quiet. First, he more injured at the ministry battle then he led on after being cast out of Harry's mind, or he was planning something very, very big. Harry truly hoped that it was the first, but had a bad feeling it was the later.

He made a note to go and talk to Reinblut another time to find out what his take on the topic was. After all, he was the expert.

Following lunch, they headed off for Charms.

"Good afternoon class. As I mentioned at the end of our last double period, today we will be learning about power levels of witches and wizards. Every wizard and witch has a power level. This level tells you how powerful you are or can become, and as a result what types of jobs are best suited to you. It is also used for international dueling classifications and to know what division you would be in during an actual competition." explained the Professor.

"Kind of like muggle boxing, right professor? With heavy weight, light weight and other divisions based on the size of the competitor?" asked Wayne Hopkins, a muggleborn Hufflepuff.

"Yes, just like that. But instead of using the person's weight, the divisions are determined by the wizard's colours." he said, "With a certain spell, that myself or professor Dumbledore will cast on you, your magical colour will be revealed. The results of the test will remain confidential, and the results will be known only to you, the headmaster and myself.

"Now, the way it actually works, is that the spell measures how strong a connection you actually have to the magical realm, so it doesn't so much test how much magic you have, but how much you have access too. It's too hard to explain really, so I wont bother trying. Anyone who is really curious and would like to know more about it, there are several books on it in the library, and it can also be researched as an independent study course, but you wont need to know this unless you plan on going into some form of magical research and development, including any post within the department of unspeakables. Of course no one ever _choses_ to be an unspeakable, they're approached, and so this would all be taught to you during your training. But I digress." he said with a chuckle.

"As I was saying; The colours. The colours that are used to measure your ability range from white, which would be a squib, to blue, then green, then yellow, then orange, then red, then to purple. I would say it's similar to a rainbow, but as you can tell, not exactly. Within every colour, there is also degrees of power as depicted by the shade of the colour. For example: someone with an aura of baby blue, is not as powerful as someone with an aura of navy blue. The majority of wizards and witches fall into the green, yellow range or even light orange range. Red is rare, and purple is barely ever seen. The Headmaster is known to be a medium purple, professor McGonagall is a pink, or very light red and I, myself, am adark orange." he finished, leaving Harry to wonderhow powerful Tom Riddle was before his many rituals.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore is currently in my office waiting for myself and the first student. We will go through the list alphabetically, and after you have completed your testing you're free to go." he told them. "Miss Abbot? If you're ready?"

Harry remembered how his testing was flashing at the beginning of the summer, but he knew it's also been almostsix months for him with all the time he had been spending in the mansion. Not to mention that the more you use your magic, the sooner you tend to come into your full power.

Hermione eventually exited with a large grin, and collected her books, telling Harry and Ron that they would talk about it that night.

Soon enough, it was Harry's turn.

He entered the back office, and found it hard to miss the excited look on his small professor's face and, of course, the twinkle in the eye of the headmaster.

"Good afternoon Harry. How are you feeling this fine day." asked Dumbledore.

"Not bad, Albus. It's been a busy week for me, but I'm sure you already knew that." Harry responded, matching his mentor's twinkle.

Flitwick wasn't aware that the two of them were on a first name basis, but didn't voice his surprise. He just seemed to get more excited.

"Shall we?" asked Harry.

"Of course." said the headmaster as he waved his wand and muttered the incantation.

At that point, Harry was surrounded by what appeared to be a black light with the occasional flicker of very dark purple.

Flitwick ceased being excited, and was staring in awe, and Dumbledore, as usual, showed no surprise whatsoever, his eyes merely twinkled a little more.

"This is quite...unexpected." stated Harry calmly.

"Is it?" asked Dumbledore cryptically, "I would have thought you'd be used to surprises by now, especially when it came to your own magic."

"I never said I was surprised," clarified Harry with a smile, "I just said it was unexpected. There is a difference, as you, yourself, know well." he explained.

"Of course." conceded the Headmaster with a slight bow.

"So...now what?" asked Harry, as his colours began to fade.

"Now you are excused, and we shall test the next student." said Albus, non-chalantly.

"You know what I meant, Albus." responded Harry with a look that betrayed his amusement at his Headmasters attempt at humour.

"Now, you continue to train as you have been, and continue to prepare. This changes nothing. It only serves to give us more hope of a favourable outcome...not that I had any doubt of the outcome before this." added the Headmaster with a confident smile.

Harry thanked them both and excused himself. On his way out of theclassroom, hetold Ron they'd talk later. Once out of sight, he flashed to Godric's office, and went into Potter mansion to have a word with a portrait or two.

* * *

After all the testing, Albus and Filius were sitting in the headmaster's office. 

"What does it mean, Albus?" started the vertically challenged Charms professor, "This is the most powerful group of students I have ever seen at Hogwarts at one time, and young Mr. Potter. Has there _ever_ been anyone who was given a rating of black?"

"Not to my knowledge, old friend. As for your first question, I would think that the answer is obvious. They are the strongest group ever mostly because, they are the ones destined to face the strongest adversaries ever. Have you ever read the prophecies of the founders?" asked the old man, his twinkle all but diminished.

The short man nodded his head before thinking, then responding, "You don't mean...? TheSeven of the prophecy are here?"

"That they are. And if I'm not mistaken, they are all in Gryffindor house."

* * *

Up in the DA common room, Harry and the mansion gang, sat around in the planning room. Harry had conjured some extra chairs so that everyone could sit before thoroughly warding the room, and sealing the door. 

"So, all but one of us has done our testing today," everyone nodded at Harry's words. "I think it would be best if we all shared what we were, so that we know just what we're working with."

"What about me?" asked Ginny.

"You probably haven't reached magical maturity yet, but I'll cast it on you myself anyways just to see." Harry responded.

"You'll cast it?" asked Hermione, "But that spell is very restricted. Not many people know it, and the use of it is, well, restricted. How did you learn it?"

"Well, even if I didn't already know it before today, I would have been able to do it having watched Albus do it once." he explained, "but as it happens, Horass taught it to me this summer since he needed to see where I was."

"Oh, ok." said Hermione, a little deflated, but then hopefully asked, "Can you teach me?"

Harry smiled at her timid question, "Of course. I was planning on teaching it to all of you, or at least a modified version of it that I've been working on. This modified version will allow the caster, and ONLY the caster to see what a person's level is. This way, they can make sure that the task they're giving this person is not beyond their ability, or, they can measure up an opponent and see if a confrontation is really worth it."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Ron, enthusiastically, getting a chuckle from Neville.

"Do you want me to test you now? Or do you want to hear everyone else's results first?" he asked Ginny.

"I wouldn't mind hearing everyone else's first." she admitted.

Athena, Demeter and Hermione shocked everyone and admitted that they had all been a poppy red. Harry told them she shouldn't be surprised, since they were triplets, and couldn't be weak in magic.

Ron raised the bar a notch when he said, to his great disgust, that he was maroon (a shade of dark red for magical testing purposes) much to Harry and Hermione's amusement. Harry joked that maybe his mother was a seer and had been giving him that colour jumper all these years for just that reason.

Neville, slightly embarrassed, admitted to a light purple which shocked every single person in the room except Harry, who just pulled a Dumbledore and smiled brightly with an annoying twinkle in his eyes. Then it was Harry's turn.

"It'll be easier if I show you." With that, he cast the spell, and he exploded into a brilliant, shining black with wisps of very dark purple.

If they were surprised at Neville, they were floored at Harry.

"Mate, I've never, EVER heard of anyone being a dark purple, let alone practically black. That is SO wicked!" said Ron.

Hermione was too dumbstruck to even utter a sound, Athena jumped up and hugged him for some reason, and Neville and Demeter were just shocked, and Ginny smiled in support of her friend. She knew full well that the last think Harry wanted was to be gawked at or congratulated for something he had no control over.

"Your turn." said Harry to Ginny in hopes of getting the attention of himself.

He cast the spell, and Ginny was soon bathed in colours rotating between orange, red and purple. "I was afraid of this." began Harry, quoting Horass. "You're still not at magical maturity yet, but by the looks of it, when you do finally mature, you're going to be pretty powerful." he said with a smile.

Afterwards, they came out of the office and settled around the DA common room, where eventually joined by Susan, Ernie, Justin and Colin. The rest of the evening they just spent chatting and relaxing in the common room talking about their plans for the DA that year, and what they were going to cover in the meeting tomorrow.

* * *

There was perfect attendance the following Saturday at the DA meeting (except for the graduated students this time). Even Cho and Marietta were there. Marietta had gotten up the courage to apologize the at dinner the night before, and so Harry accepted her back. 

The meeting had started off a bit rocky, not just at the presence of Cho and Marietta, but also at the four new arrivals from Slytherin house.

Blaise had joined fully shortly after his parents had told him of the recent investments into their companies by the Black family, and with him came Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis and Sally-Ann Perks.

The meeting had begun with the mandatory signing of the new and improved privacy statement.

Harry assured them all that this was different from the last one. People who broke it would not be subject to any form of humiliation or ridicule. They would not be publicly humiliated in anyway, he promised. On Harry's word alone, they all signed it, though some more hesitantly then others.

Unbeknownst to the entire group, including the mansion gang, the contract had had been designed by Harry with the help of a couple of the portraits in the mansion. It had a modified Fidelius Charm on it so if anyone tried to betray the DA, all the information about the group, the location of the common room and all events that took place in it would lock themselves away in their brain. The information couple then be unlocked, at a later date by the secret keeper, in this case Harry, If he wanted them to return to the group. This was a safeguard against torture, an Imperitus curse and even legilemency. This way, if the member actually tried to remain true, they could be brought back into the group with only a word from Harry, if not, then they would never even remember being a part of it. And he had managed to tie it all into the paper as a magical contract. All they needed to do was sign the paper, and the spell would take effect.

After a full hour of attempting to come up with a new name, they came to the unanimous decision that they would just stick with the title Defense Association.

The next hour was spent on the lists that Harry had asked everyone to compile of prospective recruits. All the names that appeared on more then one list were accepted instantly, and the others were discussed by the group as a whole. When they were finished, they had a total of 29 prospective recruits from third year through seventh which would practically double the current group if they all accepted. This made it easier to teach the new recruits as well, since in a one on one atmosphere people learned much quicker.

It was also suggested, but Ernie, and seconded by Ron, that they agree to some form of hierarchy so that they new what orders to fallow when a battle situation finally did occur. They, eventually, decided to model the command structure after that of the school itself, since the concept of military ranks were completely foreign to most of the purebloods.

Harry was elected Headmaster unanimously.

Hermione was elected Deputy headmistress as she was one of the founders and did most of the research for the spells.

Five heads were picked, but unlike the school, they didn't represent houses, but specialties.

Ron was Head of Planning and Strategy,

Neville was head of Offense,

Ginny was head of Defense,

Blaise as head of Espionage

and Hermione played a duel role as Deputy Headmistress and head of Healing and medicine.

The five heads were appointed by the Headmaster, and though there were a few complaints, he explained the he could trust them all, and that all but one of them were at his side at the Department of Mysteries the year before, which quieted them down quickly.

Other ranks were Professors, Teacher Assistants, Prefects and Students. The only two from the core group who chose to be students were Denis Creevey and Sally-Ann Perks. Harry decided to make them Head boy and Head Girl. This meant that they were heads of the students, answered directly to Harry and acted as messengers between groups. This way they were still considered part of the 'staff' and were able to attend the staff meetings with everyone else.

The new recruits would eventually be assigned a house, but for now, they would all train together to build a sense of unity. Once they reached a certain level, as decided but the staff, they would then start to specialize and work in smaller groups and prefects would be appointed for each 'house' establushing a solid chain of command.

Hermione made new coins up for the four Slytherins, but Harry decided not to give a coin to everyone in the group, only to members of the staff. He figured that since the meeting times were fixed, he wouldn't need to contact them without telling the staff first. If the DA needed to be assembled in a hurry, as in the case of an attack, Harry would send word out to the staff and then have them round up the students.

The full DA would meet twice a week and the staff would then meet one additional time to do their own training. Harry's 'portable room of requirement' was a hit with the staff when he showed them at the meeting. It had been decided that the students wouldn't know about it, and that Harry would come early before every meeting and set it up. Harry had also decided to take off the time charm in the mansion every morning before he left, so that the DA sessions would happen in real time. He didn't want to reveal all his secrets after all.

Phase two was now complete.

* * *

(1) Scamander, Newt, "Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them." (c) J.K.Rowlings 2001; Raincoast books, Vancouver. AN: I recently broke down and bought the book so I thought I'd use it. ;) 

**AN:** Thanks for coming out. Please Read and Review and continue to enjoy.

Farfumsane


	29. Halloween

**Disclaimer: **La la la, not mine. La la la, it's hers. La la la still broke. La la la, cause it's not mine. (No, I have no idea what that was all about. I'm running out of ideas! OK! Cut me some slack!) ;)

**Chap 28: Halloween**

By the end of October, Harry had gotten himself into a routine that worked well for him. Classes were running smoothly and his days in the mansion were spent efficiently.

On any given night of the week you could find at least 5 to 10 students hanging out in the DA common room, and outside of lesson times, rank meant nothing as he saw a TA, two professors and a few students all sitting around playing cards. What houses they were in didn't matter anymore either, even for the Slytherins in the group. The oddest sight of all was seeing Blaise and Ron go head to head at chess on a regular basis. The first time they played Harry was in shock, it was the first time ever that he had seen Ron lose. The two of them were very evenly matched, and were about 50/50 in their outcomes so far.

Ron had also taken to playing Laura Whistle quite frequently, much to the annoyance of Hermione, who refused to accept that she was jealous of the amount of time he was spending with the fifth year Ravenclaw. Laura had joined the day after being recommended by Terry and seconded by Ron. She had quickly established herself as one of the main strategists of the student group and was currently thought of as a shoe-in for prefect when the first years finally got sorted. Ron had been spending increasing amounts of time with her as the weeks went on, as she was not only a brilliant chess player, but also one of the chasers for the Ravenclaw team.

The rest of Harry's evenings were split between Quidditch practices, spending time with Susan, spending time with Sally-Ann (who he met one night a week outside of DA times), keeping an eye on Malfoy and 'promoting school unity' or in other words, joining Peeves in his escapades.

By the end of October, the Gryffindor team was having three Quidditch practices a week. The team was working together very nicely and Harry was having a great time too. Ron was working them hard, but the results were obvious.

Unlike quidditch, Harry's time with Susan was becoming less and less enjoyable for him. Their relationship had become more comfortable then caring, more expected then anticipated. Kissing her just didn't have the same spark as it used to, though he could never remember a spark being there in the first place.

His time with Sally-Ann, on the other hand, was much more enjoyable. Though they hadn't kissed since that first time, they had continued to talk and get to know each other. She was quickly becoming one of Harry's best friends. She was quick witted, fun, sarcastic and at the same time understanding and compassionate when she had to be. He found himself looking forward to their time together more than his time with Susan, which had him re-evaluating his current situation.

Then there was following Malfoy. Though it hadn't been something assigned to him by anyone, Harry just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something seriously wrong, and he had to find out what it was. It was by no means a simple task either, on the contrary, it was quite a chore. He could never get close enough to actually see him since Malfoy always seemed to know when he was around, so Harry was left staring at the Marauders' Map to follow his movements. Harry would then retrace Malfoy's steps and see if he could find anything, not that he ever did. Sometimes he would disappear from the map all together for about an hour, and then reappear clear across the castle. But as hard as Harry tried, he couldn't figure out where he went. Harry figured Malfoy was using an anti-scrying potion during this time, since it only lasted an hour, but what Draco did during these times was a mystery.

Apart from that minor setback, things in Harry's like were going rather smoothly...until Halloween of course.

* * *

'Where is that rat? I have to be at the Halloween feast in 15 minutes.' he thought, then looking up, Draco saw the form of his informant approaching. 

"It's about time!" sneered Malfoy, "Is everything going according to plan?"

"Yes." responded his spy, "Things are falling into place rather nicely. I have been trying to get them to stall the progress of the core group, attempting to get them to focus more on the new recruits rather then furthering their own abilities. If the Dark Lord attacks when planned, they shouldn't have had enough time to put together any form of effective defense."

"Excellent. And what of the rest of his 'staff'?" asked Draco with a smirk, "Do you think there are any others that can be swayed to our side?" asked the Dark Lord's representative, knowing full well what the answer would be, but wanting an excuse to cause pain to this filthy rat.

"No sir. They are all firmly on Potter's side, even Zabini and the other Slytherins." the rat answered.

"UNACCEPTABLE!" roared Malfoy, "_CRUCIO_" He didn't even hold it for a second, but it was still enough to get his point across. "The Dark Lord has given me command of his followers here at Hogwarts, and given me the authority to punish as I see fit. I will NOT suffer this kind of incompetence. You will either start making some kind of progress in this field, or our meetings will become more and more painful for you as time goes on." Malfoy sneered as he saw the tears rolling down the traitor's face. "As for Zabini and the others, they will be dealt with in due time. I don't have the kind of support in Slytherin I need yet to be able to openly oppose him. But I will soon." then, looking back down at the lump at his feet, "Get up! And get out of here. If anyone finds you missing, you'll be of no further use to me OR the Dark Lord."

Dragging himself to his feet, the spy stumbled out of the deserted classroom and made his way into the darkened Hall, leaving behind a laughing Draco Malfoy.

* * *

At the Feast that evening, the Mansion group and Susan were sitting at the Gryffindor Table waiting for dinner. Harry noticed Terry Boot stumble into the Great Hall and make his way over to the Ravenclaw table limping rather heavily. 

"What happened to him?" he asked Ron.

"Don't know, I'll go check though since he's in my squad." With that, Ron got up, went over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down across from Terry, which was also, coincidentally, the seat right next to Laura.

"Humph!" voiced Hermione, seeing Ron's new neighbour. "What's he doing over there?" she asked, more annoyed then she wanted it to sound.

"Terry came in limping, he looked hurt, so I asked Ron to go check it out. He'll be right back." explained Harry.

"Sure he will." muttered a sour Hermione. Ginny frowned at her friend knowing what the problem really was. Athena and Demeter had also aware of the true cause for their sister's distress. The two of them had been trying to distract their sister for a few days now by pointing out other guys, but it had been of no use. Hermione only seemed to focus more and more on her 'friend' who was about to make a 'terrible mistake' as she constantly warned them. All of them noticed how much time Ron had been spending with the young Ravenclaw, and they really couldn't blame him. Whenever he did come around, Hermione would either get up and leave, or try to ignore him. He had asked her several times what the matter was, but she always said it was nothing.

'If she'd only admit to herself that she had feelings for him, it would make everything a lot easier.' thought Harry.

_Good luck with that._ Came Ginny's mental response. _You'd have better luck beating Ron at game of chess!_

Harry nodded at his friend's thoughts. He just hoped that they figured it out before one of them got hurt.

After about 5 minutes later, which Ron had spent talking with Laura mostly, he returned.

"Apparently he missed one of the trick steps on one of the staircases and fell down two flights of stairs on his way here tonight. You'd think after being here this long that those stairs would just be second nature." pointed out Ron. "He just didn't want to miss the Feast, so he thought he'd just bear it without going to the Hospital wing."

"Good call." muttered Harry, "If he has a sprained ankle, Madam Pomfrey would likely try to keep him there for a month." he explained, getting a round of chuckles in response since all of them were well aware of Harry's many dealings with the kind yet demanding matron of the Hospital ward.

At this point, Dumbledore made his way into the Hall to begin the Feast.

"I shall not bore you with a long winded speech this evening," after which, Ron muttered 'good, I'm hungry' "So on with the feast!" he concluded, waving his hands. Instantly all the tables were filled with a variety of foods and sugared treats both wizarding and muggle.

Sir Nicholas floated by at one point, and Harry, Ron and Hermione, wished him a Happy Deathday. Sir Nicholas was touched that they had remembered, and honoured that the Heir would take time to acknowledge it, though he didn't voice that opinion.

As the meal progressed, Harry appeared to become more and more nervous. Noticing, Athena decided to ask him.

"Harry? What's wrong? You look worried."

"It's Halloween." he said, as if that was all the explanation that was needed. He then looked at his two closest friends, who were both frowning at him in sympathy, before continuing, "Not a year has gone by where something bad didn't happen on this night for me. The worse part is that I know it's coming, I just don't know what 'it' is or when 'it' will happen." he admitted.

"Don't be ridiculous Harry," said Hermione, attempting to put on a happy face, even though those who knew her could tell she wasn't completely calm herself, "Nothing's going to happen. Just enjoy the night, and try not to think about 'it'...whatever 'it' may be."

Ron just patted him on the back before devouring another candy apple.

Susan was talking to Neville about something, so Harry decided to talk with Ginny for a bit, 'What's new?' he asked her mentally.

_Nothing really. Classes were fine. Justin and I went for a walk after them, and now I'm here. How bout you? I can tell you're worried. Don't be, we're all here to help you whatever may come. _She assured her friend.

Harry had found himself talking to Ginny quite frequently since school started since she was only a thought away. This made it easy to chat with her when he was following Malfoy, helping out in classes, or just wandering the halls as he had a habit of doing. They had gotten to know each other quite well, and he now saw her as his best friend, tied with Ron and Hermione of course.

Unfortunately, his two other best friends had been in their own little worlds of late and so he had been talking more with Ginny then them. Ron had been spending all of his free time either planning quidditch or in the DA common room playing chess against Blaise or spending time with Laura. Hermione had been trying to avoid Ron, and since Harry was often in the same place as him, she didn't see Harry much either. The biggest problem with this was that Susan had become better friends with Hermione and had been accompanying her to the library on many of her visits. As a result, Harry didn't get to see his girlfriend very often either, unless he made a point to find her, and that was something he had been doing less and less recently.

'It's not just that. It's the whole Ron and Hermione thing, not to mention that I'm having serious doubts about my relationship with Susan.' he told his friend, again. He had admitted this to Ginny several days ago, but she had encouraged him to keep trying. It was possible he was just going through a rough patch with her and could be worked out. 'I just have a really bad feeling that something's gonna happen tonight.'

Like Hermione said, don't worry about it. There's nothing you can do right now anyways, so just enjoy yourself. Besides, the party up in the DA common room tonight should be fun. It's only gonna be the staff so that should be relaxing. I heard that Hermione has some games planned.

'Oh joy.' he thought sarcastically with a grin. Looking over at the Hufflepuff table he could see Ginny smiling back at him too.

The rest of the feast went off without a hitch and after it was finished, everyone returned to their common rooms before sneaking out to the DA common room for the real party.

* * *

Everyone who was coming was there. Terry had opted out, saying his leg was still bothering him. Dean, Justin and Dennis had also chosen not to come, as they had apparently eaten way too many sweets at dinner and were not feeling well. Marietta and Cho also skipped it as they still didn't feel like true members of the group, not that they were treated poorly, they just weren't treated as well as others. 

"Alright Hermione, what game have you chosen for us tonight?" asked a curious Ernie Macmillan.

"Well, I have a whole bunch of games, actually. They're all muggle games, with a Wizarding twist." she exclaimed with pride. "First off, we're going to play pictionary, but instead of markers and paper, the muggle way, we'll be using our wands and drawing the pictures in the air like this." she proceeded to say the necessary spell and then drew a male stick figure on a broom, at least that's what Harry thought it was supposed to be. He had recognised it as the same spell that Tom Riddle had used in the Chamber in his second year to write his name, but decided not to voice this observation, deciding that he would that have that memory replaced with this one when he saw that spell used again in the future.

After Hermione explained the rules, they split up into two teams. They purposely separated couples, but kept the teams mixed in gender since the girls didn't want that much of an advantage, or so they claimed. Harry grinned when he realized he ended up on Ginny's team.

By the end of the game, Harry and Ginny's team had been the clear winners. Ginny would wait for her team to guess a couple of times, but when it was clear they weren't going to get it, she'd just read the person drawing's thoughts, and declare the right answer. When she was drawing, she'd just project to Harry what the answer was supposed to be and he'd shout it out. It really wasn't much of a contest.

They then decided to play Magical chairs: Yet another magical variation on a muggle classic, as thought up by Hermione. The chairs would hover and rotate counter clockwise, while everyone walked clockwise as the music played. When the music stopped, the chairs did too, and were set down on the ground. From that point on it was like the muggle variety. They played several rounds of this one, with Blaise winning the first round, Ron winning the second, and Harry winning the third, though it should have been Ron again since Harry wandlessly pulled the chair towards him causing Ron to fall on his butt when he tried to sit down.

The pack was thinning at this point, and the only ones left were the mansion group, Susan, Blaise, Daphne, Sally-Ann and Ernie.

Then Hermione brought out the big guns.

"Truth or dare, magic style!" she exclaimed as she produced a pack of cards with questions or alternate dares written on them.

"Magic style?" asked a confused and slightly worried Athena.

"Yes." Then producing a vial of liquid, Demeter said "Magic style."

"Um, Hermione, Demeter? What's in there?" asked a concerned Ernie Macmillan.

"This is a mild truth serum that when mixed with a liquid, such as pumpkin juice," Demeter said as she motioned to the drinks in everyone's hands, "will compel the person speaking to only speak the truth."

The Hermione took over, "It's not as powerful as Veritaserum since you can decide whether or not to answer the question, but if you do decide to answer, it will make sure that what comes out of your mouth is the truth." she finished.

They all agreed eventually, and sat in a circle, drink in hand, ready to start the game.

Demeter drew the first card, "What is your favorite magical creature?" Demeter, Susan and Daphne all answered unicorn, Neville and Ron said griffon, Harry said it was a toss up between the phoenix, kneazle or hippocampus, to the amusement of the Mansion group, Athena said the aethonan (a breed of winged horses), Hermione said kneazle, Blaise responded the puffskein, and afterwards tried not to be too embarrassed (he had tried to say dragon, but the serum wouldn't let him), Ernie said hippogriff and Sally-Ann and Ginny both answered phoenix.

She passed the deck of cards to her left, and Neville drew the next one. Turning multiple shades of red, he read the questions out loud, "Who was the first member of the opposite sex that you kissed that wasn't family." He seriously considered doing the dare, but wasn't sure what type of things would be required or him, so he decided to answer the question instead, "I'm never actually kissed a girl." His face turning even redder if that was at all possible. Some of the girls smiled at him and all the guys felt sorry for him, a few of them even vowed to themselves to hook him up with someone if they could. Susan answered Harry, and blushed. Harry smiled at her, but then answered Cho, Athena said a boy from Durmstag who was a year older then her, Ron said Laura (Hermione had kissed him on the cheek, but it didn't count since he didn't actually kiss her), which got him a few whistles from the guys and a pat on the back from Blaise, Hermione appeared livid, but managed to say Harry (even if it was only on the cheek), Daphne said the name of a boy she grew up with, Blaise said a girl he knew back home, Sally-Ann blushed and said Harry, (much to everyone else's confusion, especially Susan's) Ernie said Hannah, and smiled, Ginny admitted that hers was Michael Corner and Demeter blushed too and mumbled that she hadn't kissed a boy yet either. Both she and Neville caught each other's eye and smiled, at least neither of them was alone in that.

Susan got the deck next and the question read, "What was the most embarrassing moment of your life?" She thought for a second and then answered that it was the time she had fallen asleep in study hall with her book standing on it's spine in front of her. She started dreaming that she was falling and her arms flailed out sending her books flying through the once silent room. The books hitting the ground echoed throughout the hall. She quickly collected them and ran off to her room. She didn't even go down to dinner that night. Harry decided that his most embarrassing moment was that morning he woke up Tonks, but he wasn't going to say it so he chose the dare instead. They waited to read it in case anyone else opted for the dare. Athena mentioned the time she was flying around in muggle clothes on her broom and her skirt ripped off due to the wind. She was sitting on her broom wearing nothing but her white panties. She went on to say that she never flew so fast in all her life after that. She didn't leave her broom, flew through the hallways of her school and straight into her dorm, and changed. Ron said it was the time he walked into the solid wall at the train platform with Harry. He said he can still see the muggles laughing at him: though he admitted that it must have looked awfully amusing. Hermione's was during her second flying class when she almost lost control of her broom. She had told Parvati and Lavender that she had stayed up half the night reading about flying, and how she was going to ace it that day...unfortunately for her she didn't, and they STILL liked to remind her of it. Daphne and Blaise both mentioned some childhood incidents, and Sally-Ann also chose to take the dare. Ernie said it was when he had first asked Hannah out. He had been so nervous that he had mixed up the order of the words in his questions and asked her "Hannah, do go you want to out with me?" To this day he doesn't know how he managed to butcher such a simple sentence so badly, but luckily, after her two solid minutes of laughter, she said yes, and kissed him (that was also his first kiss, so the good with the bad). Ginny mumbled something about a butter dish, when she was sitting at the table with someone she had had a crush on, which caused Harry to chuckle, but he didn't want to upset his friend, so he hid his amusement.

"Ok, for the dare," Hermione explained with excitement, "You have to hold the card and say 'I dare you'. Then the dare charm will activate."

So Harry and Sally-Ann both grabbed the card and said "I dare you." Instantly, their hair turned Tonks pink. Harry's became short and spiky, and Sally-Ann's turned into two pigtails, the same vibrant pink as Harry's. Then Harry read the card, "The charm will last for 24 hours."

Harry smiled to himself since he had planned to spend the next 24 hours in his mansion, however he knew that Sally-Ann wouldn't be that lucky, so he decided to morph his hair pink anyways so she wouldn't have to face it alone.

"Next question," said Harry as he pulled a card out of the deck, "Are you currently in love?" Harry thought about it for a second and thinking of Susan he tried to say yes, but out came "No." causing Susan to frown. Athena answered No. Ron decided to chance the dare, Hermione tried to say no, but out came "yes." After saying it she threw her hands up to cover her mouth, and her eyes betrayed her shock. Everyone smiled, everyone, that is, except one, as Harry noticed that Ron seemed to be frowning slightly. Daphne answered yes, as did Blaise, smiling at each other. Sally-Ann answered and said no, and Ginny said yes, though she seemed confused as to why. Neville and Demeter both said no, as did Susan, and eventhough it wasn't the answer she was trying to give, she wasn't surprised.

Then turning to Ron, Harry read, "The dare is: You are to be blindfolded and kissed by three girls in the room. If you can guess who they were your dare is over, if not, you must give every girl you couldn't guess chocolates and flowers as an apology." Neville muttered something about how he should have refused to answer, getting a round of laughter, but Sally-Ann,hoping that no one else would hear her over the laughing, quietly told him that his first kiss shouldn't be from some silly dare, but something he can look back on as special, which earned her another glare from Susan, who had over heard her and remembered who Sally-Ann's first kiss had been.

Ronwas blindfolded and he was grinning like mad. The girls decided among themselves who would go. Ginny refused saying that it would be gross. First was Susan, who he guessed because of the smell of her perfume. Next was Athena, who he also got right because it was a little rougher then other girls, or so he claimed, and next came Hermione. She moved closer, hesitantly, and lightly brushed her lips against his causing tingles to run up and down her spine. Apparently, it had had a similar effect on Ron as the smile was gone from his face, and an expression of awe had replaced it, "Hermione?" he whispered.

This time everyone in the room WAS smiling. Hermione was embarrassed, but grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and Ron too had a dopey grin on his face, though it was quickly replaced by confusion and contemplation. Then the blindfold was removed and the game went on.

Athena was the next to grab the deck and the question read, "When and with whom was your best kiss?" She said that hers was with one of the boys from Durmstag after her last Quidditch match there. Ron, muttered 'Hermione', causing Hermione's jaw to drop, but then in turn she answered Ron, causing a few sniggers. Daphne said it was the night that Blaise had taken her out to see a wizarding play, and they took a nice walk through a park and he slowly bent down and kissed her softly. Her vivid description had most of the girls swooning, and the guys retching. Blaise answered the same as he looked at her smiling. Sally-Ann, not wanting to get Harry in trouble opted for the dare, causing Susan to look at her accusingly as she remembered WHO Sally-Ann's first kiss had been. Ernie said it was a few nights ago, with Hannah. They had gone to the old Room of Requirement and walked along a beach. Neither Demeter nor Neville could answer, so it then went to Susan, who despite being curious about Sally-Ann, smiled and said that it was the night after her first date with Harry. Harry turned to her and smiled, and fully intended on answering the same thing, until his mouth decided he wasn't being honest, "It was last month with Sally-Ann after I had saved her from Malfoy."

You could have heard a pin drop after he had finished. His eyes bulged as he realized what he had said, and immediately tried to explain, but he was too late. Susan broke down and started bawling as she jumped up and ran out of the room, Hermione was furious and followed her weeping friend to consol her, the others seemed to be starring at him with a mixture of shock and contempt waiting for him to explain himself further, except for Sally-Ann, who was doing her best to keep from smiling.

Harry sighed and explained, "Last month, I noticed that Malfoy and his two goons were picking on Sally-Ann. Then Malfoy reacted as if in pain and she got up and ran out of the Great Hall."

"I kicked him in the gnads." explained the girl with the hot pink pigtails, causing all the men to wince.

"You have a bad habit of doing that." Harry said, thinking back to the train incident. Sally-Ann looked confused, but before she could ask, he continued, "They followed her out, but before they got outside I saw Malfoy's eyes and knew it wasn't gonna be pretty, so I got up and followed. By the time I got to them, she was already on the floor and the two apes were about to pick her up and drag her off to Malfoy's room." He paused to let what he had just told them sink in. "That's one of the three reasons I never told anyone about this incident. I then dropped Goyle and Crabbe quickly, and went to do the same to Malfoy, but he dodged out of the way." Then looking Ron in the eyes he continued, "He lasted 5 minutes with me in a one on one duel."

Ron was shocked. Not even Tonks could last five minutes against Harry anymore, and she was a fully trained Auror. This was not good.

"That's the second reason I didn't mention it. He's strong, and I didn't want to worry anyone. After I bound and disillusioned them, I carried Sally-Ann, who was obviously not doing very well, off to a safe and secure location, where I helped her to recover with my emphatic abilities." He decided to leave the part about where that was, and that she had been sitting on his lap the whole time, as he didn't feel it was overly pertinent to the story, "and after she stopped crying she kissed me. I admit that I kissed her back too, but I never did it to hurt Susan. We never kissed again after that, I swear. It was a one time thing, and I never meant it to get in the way of our relationship." he admitted sadly, still staring down at the carpet and unable to make eye contact with anyone.

He felt a hand firmly grasp his shoulder, and he looked up to meet Ron's gaze, "I believe you mate. I know you'd never hurt any of your friends on purpose. And don't worry, I'm sure when Susan realizes what really happened, she'll forgive you too and take you back."

Harry looked sad at the news, but didn't elaborate that he hoped she wouldn't. He wanted her to forgive him, yes, but not get back together with him. For the first time in a while he felt free, if not a little sad.

_You don't want to be with her anymore though, do you?_

'No,' he thought, before looking up to meet Ginny's eyes, 'but I never, ever wanted to hurt her, or anyone. We only ever talked when I went to see her, I would never do that to Susan. Please believe me.' he thought, almost pleading. She had been the only one that found out about his weekly visits with Sally-Ann. He had been thinking about it one day, and had forgot to put up his telepathic barriers. He had exlained himself, and she had believed him. Besides, he probably would have told her eventually anywayssince he really did trust Ginny and didn't want to give anyone else the wrong idea about His and Sally-Ann's relationship if it wre ever discovered...like today. Harry was worried now, though. Ginny was arguably his best friend, and he didn't know how he was going to face this if she turned her back on him like Hermione just had.

Looking into his eyes she could tell he was being honest and smiled, _Of course I believe you Harry. I'll do my best to help you through this. You know I'd never abandon you. Even if you had been having an affair, I still would have stuck by you, I would have been super disappointed, but I would have stuck by you, just like you'll always be there for me too. _

"Thanks" he said out loud with a smile of relief, confusing everyone who had been watching their silent exchange. They all voiced their support after, telling Harry that they believed him, even Ernie.

"Besides, it's hard to stay mad at someone whose hair looks like short, spiky cotton candy." added Ernie with a smirk.

"Cotton candy? Why would anyone eat sweetened wool?" asked a totally confused Ron, though thinking he might not mind his mother's Christmas sweaters as much if they were edible.

Harry just shook his head at his friends said thank you to Ernie.

They knew the kind of person Harry was, and knew he wouldn't ever do something like that to Susan on purpose. Harry just hoped he wouldn't lose a friend over this. Shortly after this, everyone said goodnight and headed off to their rooms.

Before reaching the dorm room, Ron tried again to cheer his best mate up, "Well Harry, it looks like you were right."

Harry looked at him with a confused expression.

"Something did happen." Ron explained, "But the good news is that at least it wasn't trolls, or dementors, or dark wizards, or dragons, or..."

"I get the picture mate." interrupted Harry with a grin, before looking worried, "Though I'm not reallysure which I'd rather face, a dragon, or a mad Hermione."

Ron laughed as he crawled into bed, not realizing Harry was being dead serious.

* * *

**AN: **Here you go, hope you enjoy. 

For those of you who are wondering where I got the idea for Susan's 'most embarrassing moment' from, I shall tell you. It happened to me personally and is one of, if not the most, embarrassing moment(s) of my life. I were in the middle of a silent reading period in my grade 11 English Class. The classroom itself had been recently constructed in the old shops area. The ceilings were still open metal rafters and the room echoed like a cathedral. I had fallen asleep reading, just as poor Susan did, and I dreamt I was falling. The flailing of my arms as I woke up caused my book, which had been standing upright in from of me so that the teacher didn't know I was asleep, to go flying across the room, and it landed with the loudest bang I have ever heard. Unlike Susan, however, I did not have the option of leaving the room in my embarrassment, and was forced to go pick up my book, sit back down at my spot and continue my 'reading'. I don't wish an experience like that on anyone. I could literally feel the eyes of every one of my classmates on me and could hear some of them chuckling. Looking back now, I think it was priceless, but back then it was mortifying.

Please keep the reviews a coming.

Farfumsane.


	30. Take It Easy

**Disclaimer: **I hope you'll all read my next fic entitled "Half-blooded-guy-whose-making-nothing-off-of-many-wasted-hours-of-expanding-on-someone-elses-imagination". It's going to be loosely based on my life story.

**Chap 29: Take it easy**

The day after Halloween, Friday the first of November, Harry came down to breakfast, and noticed that Hermione was sitting with Susan at the Hufflepuff table. Apparently, Ernie was trying to talk to them, but neither of the two girls looked very happy with him.

Harry decided not to push his luck, and went to sit at the Gryffindor table. Seeing where he had been looking, Athena smiled sadly at him, and offered him the seat next to her, which he accepted.

Once Ernie noticed Harry's arrival, he got up and made his way over to the Gryffindor table with his plate in hand.

"I can't believe them!" started Ernie as he sat down. "They asked me what I thought of the whole thing, so I told them that you explained it to us, that you didn't purposely try to hurt Susan and I said I believed you, but before I could explain what you had said, they started ignoring me, and talking to each other. Ever since then they've been trying to kill me with their eyes. I mean, do they honestly think that little of you, Harry?" asked Ernie in total disbelief.

"It's nothing I don't deserve." sighed Harry. "I knew I shouldn't as soon as her lips hit mine, but I let her anyways. It's my fault. Excuse me." he said as he got up and left the Great Hall without even touching a bite of food.

Watching him leave, Demeter spoke, "Poor Harry. He's really torn up about this. Did you notice how he never took his eyes of Susan the whole time he was in here?" which got a sad nod from everyone there, except one.

Ginny, on the other hand, had saw that it wasn't Susan he had been starring at, but the bushy haired witch sitting next to her. She didn't know why though. Ginny knew Harry only thought of her as a sister, maybe he felt betrayed? She'd have to talk to him about it later.

* * *

Shortly after breakfast, the whole school thought they knew what had happened. There were several rumours flying around the school by the time the bell rung for the first class. Some said that Harry was caught in a broom closet with some other girl, this was the most common theory, though the amount of clothes Harry and this other person had been wearing seemed to diminish from telling to telling. The only thing people didn't even pretend to know, was who this mystery person was. 

Harry had heard the whispering from his desk, so he really wasn't surprised when Malfoy decided to try and goad him.

"So, Saint Potter isn't as saintly as we had been led to believe. Tell me, Potter, who was it that was willing to shag a piece of filth like you? Probably a mudblood. No one else would be that lacking in self-respect." Malfoy's two cronies proceeded to laugh heartily, as did most of the Slytherins in the DADA class, but Harry didn't respond.

To be honest, Harry felt as though he deserved the abuse this time, but he did have to clarify something. "We didn't 'shag' as you so eloquently put it. We only kissed. As if it were any of your business." he explained calmly, without even getting up.

"That makes a lot more sense. I didn't think you'd ever be able to get a girl into bed." again, getting laughter from various sources.

At this time, Ron and the rest of the group came in. Though they hadn't heard what was said, they did see Malfoy standing in front of Harry laughing, and Harry himself looked even more depressed than before.

"Oi, ferret face. I see you're really big with two body guards. Why don't you try picking on a group your own size?" asked Ron as he entered with Neville and the triplets.

Not even acknowledging Ron, Malfoy leaned in close to Harry, "I still owe you one from the other day. You better hope I don't find you alone the halls, or _her_ alone either for that matter."

This, on the other hand, _did_ get a reaction from Harry.

Before Malfoy even had a chance to straighten up, Harry had leapt out of his seat, grabbed Malfoy by the throat with one hand, drawn his wand with the other, and forced him to fall backwards until he was crouching over Malfoy who was flat on his back. Harry started to use his empathic abilities and emitted feelings of extreme fear to Malfoy. As he saw the fear take effect, with his hand still wrapped around Draco's throat and his wand pointed at the blond boy's chest, Harry's eyes burned with a green fire, as he spoke in a quiet, yet intense and dangerous voice so that only Draco could hear.

"If you so much as lay one finger on her again, I will personally kill you. You wont know when, or where, but I promise you, that you will die. And don't think I'm above slipping into your room at night to do it either. I have my ways."

After his promise, Harry got up, and was seated again.

Draco wasn't the only person in the class who was surprised by Potter's speed. Every single person there, including the mansion group, was standing in shock, except for Draco who was still lying on the ground in front of a now seated Harry. As much as he had tried to direct those feelings of fear and awe to Malfoy alone, it would appear that some of them leaked out and had affected everyone else at least a bit.

"What's going on in here?" asked Professor Reinblut as he entered. He had stepped into the room after Harry had sat down, so all he saw were the surprised looks on everyone's faces, Harry sitting quietly looking at the front of the class and Malfoy lying on the floor in front of Harry's desk.

When no one answered, he continued, "Malfoy, get up, and go back to your room and change your robes." he said, noticing the wet stain that had formed. "The rest of you, sit down."

They all seemed to avoid sitting close to Harry. Ron, and Neville were the only two brave enough, and sat at either side, all be it very hesitantly.

Noticing their discomfort, Harry sent out a quick, small burst of comfort and love which calmed everyone close by. He had been working on controlling the range, intensity and various effects of this gift, but apparently, when he was angry, he still had problems.

It had had the desired effect. The mansion group, and others close by, visibly relaxed and sat down as the class began.

* * *

By lunch time, the true extend of Harry's 'cheating' had gotten out, and so the new focus wasn't on Harry's unfaithfulness in sleeping with someone he wasn't dating, but the fact that he was single. 

Harry's new appearance this year hadn't gone unnoticed by the female population of the school either. As early as the first day back, many of them had taken note of his larger build, ponytail, and his deep, green, twinkling eyes that a few girls had already seemed to have lost themselves in during class, as their favorite TA helped them with a problem.

But due to the fact that he had started dating Susan on their first day back, and many of them were friends with the sixth year Hufflepuff, the majority of the female population hadn't tried anything. Those who weren't friends with Susan and had tried, found their attempts thwarted by 'Harry's posse' who would keep interrupting. Harry, on the other hand, had always been too blind to notice these not so subtle hints. Either that, or he had feigned ignorance.

He had in fact, noticed most of them, but chose to play the naive little boy. It would be hard, with all the time he had spent with Tonks and Remus this summer, _not_ to notice all the flirting. After all, the two of them had been doing it since the morning she saw the old wolf naked.

So it was with great dread that Harry began to notice the giggling when he entered the Great Hall, and the many girls who 'accidentally' brushed up against him as he made his way to his table.

His panic only increased when he saw Parvati and Lavender, who usually sat about a dozen people away from him, wave and make their way over to him as they entered the Great Hall. Luckily, Ron was sitting to one side, but unfortunately that still left the seat to his left empty. As they approached, he could see them practically coming to blows as they fought for the right to sit next to him. One would step in front of the other, only to be pulled back. This went on all the way from the main doors of the Great Hall.

The closer they got, the more worried Harry got. Noticing the look of dread crossing his face, Neville, who was sitting across from him, asked, "What's wrong Harry? You don't look so good."

Harry attempted a smile, but it didn't work.

The girls, on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening. Hermione was still sitting with Susan, but the other two triplets and Ginny were all sitting on the other side of the table grinning at his predicament.

Looking over at the giggling Ginny, he asked mentally, 'Help?'

She just shook her head with a look of amusement on her face, to which he responded with a scowl in retaliation.

A second later Parvati sat down. Ron sighed and handed Athena a sickle. At Harry's questioning look, Ron muttered an explanation, "I was sure Lavender would get here first." which earned him a punch in the shoulder from Harry. But before Harry could say anything to his 'best mate' about betting on his impending suffering, Parvati placed her hand on his arm and started talking.

Not wanting to upset, yet another female member of his DA, he tried to listen politely as she rambled on about couples in the school, classes, quidditch, and many other topics, all the while with her hand on his forearm. He had long since tuned her out, and was having a conversation with Ginny.

_It's your own fault really._ She continued to say.

'How do you figure that?' he asked in disbelief.

_You could just tell her you're not interested and tell her to shove off._ Ginny thought with a slight smirk.

'Ya, that would go over well. I've already managed to ostracize two members of the DA, one of which being the assistant headmistress and a department head.' he though, rather depressed.

_What's wrong Harry? You know Hermione'll come around, they both will._ Ginny assured him.

He seemed a little surprised that she knew which of the two witches he was most affected by, but he realized that he shouldn't be. If anyone knew him, Ginny did. 'I know, but it still hurts. Hermione has always been my best friend. I just never thought she'd turn on me. Ever. Even during the tournament she stood by me when Ron didn't. She's always stood by my side. And now, for something like this, that wasn't really even my fault...well...I guess it was, but still...she left. I just...I don't want to talk about it.' he said, getting up.

His sudden rise surprised Parvati, who was in the middle of talking about dress robes. "Harry? Are you ok?" she asked, noticing the pained expression on his face.

"Ya, I'm fine. I just need to go for a walk." Thinking this was an invitation, Parvati smiled and made to get up too, when Harry sat her back down with his hand on her shoulder, "Alone."

He made his way from the Hall unaware of the disappointed look on Parvati's face, confused looks on his friends', and the apologetic one on Ginny's.

* * *

After his brief phoenix flight outside the castle to calm down, Harry made his way back inside and arrived in time for Charms. 

Class was slow and painful for Harry, as both Susan and Hermione were in it. The two of them sat together and cast evil looks at Harry the whole time. Though he thought he could occasionally see sadness in Susan's eyes, he saw no such soft emotions in Hermione's, which only depressed him further.

He half-heartedly helped those who asked for it, and chatted with professor Flitwick briefly at the end of class. The professor asked what was wrong. Harry assured the teacher that he just wasn't feeling very well, and would be going to bed early tonight and should be fine tomorrow.

After class, as all of his friends went to potions or other classes, he headed to Godric's office. He didn't want to go to the Great Hall at the moment, knowing that he would have to face a bunch of love struck girls if he did. Once there, he studied the map more attentively. He was determined to have all the secret passages and forgotten rooms memorized by Christmas and this was a great distraction for him at the moment.

When dinner time came around, Harry decided to make his way down to the Great Hall using a series of secret passages he had discovered to avoid human contact as much as possible. He noticed that one of the passages came out into the room just off the Hall that Dumbledore had used to gather the champions from the Triwizard tournament when their names had appeared, so Harry made his way there and successfully avoided everyone until he slipped into the Great Hall from that room, and made his way to the table.

Quite a few of the girls had been keeping their eyes on the main doors, waiting for Harry to show up. He just chuckled to himself when he saw the looks on their faces when they noticed he had slipped in unnoticed.

_How did you get here? Invisibility cloak?_

'No. Secret passages to the room behind the head table. I had a feeling there'd be people lying in wait.' he admitted with a smile.

Ginny, who was seated next to her boyfriend at the Hufflepuff table, elbowed Justin and pointed at Harry. Justin chuckled and gave Harry the thumbs up for slipping in undetected. _You have no idea! I saw a group outside the door just looking down the hall. I can only assume they were waiting for you...though I don't know why they'd waste their time._ She thought in an amused tone.

'What are you saying Miss Weasley? That I'm not worth their time?" he thought, with an amused air.

_Well...there is that, but I wasn't going there this time. I was just trying to say that anyone who knew you would know that you can't stand that kind of attention, and that you would never go out with any of them, since they just want you for your body or your name. _She explained.

'I hardly think it's because of my body. These robes do a good job of hiding that. But you are right. I probably wouldn't date any of them.' he admitted

_Trust me, that robe doesn't hide everything_ she admitted, blushing slightly, but he didn't notice. _And what do you mean 'probably' wouldn't?_

'I guess it would all depend on how cute they were.' he thought, this time looking over at her and winking.

_Mr. Potter, you're a flirt. I can't believe all these girls think you're so innocent and oblivious to their advances._

'How are they to know I had private lessons in flirting from a certain metamorph this summer?' asked Harry, 'What they don't know wont hurt them. Besides, my supposed naivety is the only defense I have against the army of boy-crazed-zombie-fan-girls.' thought Harry, causing Ginny to snort her pumpkin juice.

"Ginny? You ok?" asked a concerned Justin.

Chocking slightly, and trying to mask her laugh she replied, "Ya, I'm fine. cough Wrong pipe." she said, as she pointed to her throat.

_That burns! You could have waited 'til I stopped drinking before you cracked that one! _Thought Ginny, in mock irritation.

'But making stuff come out your nose is half the fun.' he thought, innocently.

Noticing Ron and the others entering, she thought, _Well, now that you have some company, I'm going to turn back all of my attention to a person who DESERVES it. Good day Mr. Potter._ She thought, before turning to talk to Justin.

Harry chuckled to himself, before turning to the approaching group.

"Hey mate. How'd you get in here? We were waiting for you out there to help steer you through the crowd, but apparently you don't need us." he added wryly.

"Ya, lots of help you were at lunch." he said with a snort.

"But that was funny!" added Neville as he took a seat on Harry's left, where Parvati had been at lunch. Ron, this time, sat on the other side of the table, across from Harry. Demeter sat across from Neville and Athena across from the open seat to his right.

Harry was starting to worry about who might try to slip in beside him when the rather large form of Andrew Kirke sat down.

He slapped Harry on the back and said, "I saw Neville on your left wing, so I thought I'd slip in on your right to keep the bludgers from you. We beaters have to protect our Seeker." he explained with a wink, before heaping a spoonful of potatoes on his plate. Harry gave him a VERY grateful smile, before he too started in on the food.

Dinner was uneventful for Harry as Andrew and Neville did an excellent job running interference for him. Even Dean and Seamus did their part in sitting down with Parvati and Lavender and talking to them during the meal.

Harry was thankful, but he knew it wouldn't last. When Kirke finished supper, he turned to Harry, "It was a pleasure, but you might want to use one of the reserves next 'game'. I barely got a chance to finished one plateful the whole hour I was here." he said with a chuckle.

Harry thanked him for his help, and then thanked him again, causing people around to laugh.

Harry took Andrews exit as his opportunity to escape. He got up with Kirke and walked with him out of the Great Hall all the while pretending to be in the middle of an important conversation.

As soon as he was clear of the doors, he said a quick goodbye to Andrew and made a mad dash for one of the side corridors where he quickly switched to his kneazle form, and slipped into the shadows in time to see two girls run past in hot pursuit.

'This is nuts!' he thought, with his mental shields firmly in place to insure Ginny wouldn't hear him complaining.

Harry used one of his kneazle abilities to turn into a cat of similar colouring, and snuck his way back to the doors of the Great Hall and waited.

* * *

Sally-Ann finished her meal. Her meal times had been a million times more pleasant since Blaise, Daphne and Tracey had started joining her. They couldn't talk about DA since the other Slytherins always listened in, but at least she had some friendly conversations about classes and various other neutral topics. 

No one had seen Malfoy since DADA this morning, and his two goons were just wandering lost as a result. Everyone guessed that he wanted to try and hide until the shame of wetting himself in front of and because of Harry had subsided. Fat chance. This was something that people in Hogwarts would be talking about for years to come, maybe not to his face (no one was THAT stupid) but definitely behind his back.

She decided to chance walking to her and Harry's room alone since everyone doubted Malfoy would emerge before the next day. So she got up, said her goodbyes to her friends, and made her way out of the Great Hall.

Once outside the doors, she looked around cautiously, just in case. She didn't see anyone around, but she did notice a small dark, shadowy gray cat, with black spots. She didn't notice that the patch of dark fur on the cat's forehead was in the shape of a lightning bolt, but she did notice it's vibrant green eyes.

"Meow" it whined.

"Well, hello there you. Who do you belong to?" she asked the cat in the voice people usually reserve for speaking to children or small animals.

The small cat merely walked up to her, and rubbed itself against her leg. "Meow."

"Well, whosever you are, we can't just have you wandering the halls alone. This isn't exactly the safest school in the world, no matter what you've been told." she told it as she bent low to pick it up. She turned it over on its back for a second, so that they were face to face.

"Well, I can stop calling you an 'it' now since you are most definitely a he." she said with a wink.

If cats could blush, this one would have.

"But I should probably let you go find your master."

Sally-Ann tried to let the little guy go, but the cat just seemed to follow her. Eventually, she just conceded and picked the cat up again. She carried him to the room, and looked around to make sure no one else was watching before uttering the password, and slipping in with her new friend.

She sat down on the couch and played with the cat for a while. She conjured some yarn, and dangled it in front of her playmate.

The cat only seemed to bat it away a couple of times, more out of annoyance then playfulness, so she decided to just hold him in her lap and pet him on the couch in front of the fire. She wasn't sure if Harry would remember their get together tonight since he had been so preoccupied today with other problems. Thinking of her famous friend's current situation, she laughed.

The cat looked up at her, apparently questioning why she was laughing.

"You want to know why I'm laughing?"

"Meow!"

"Oh. Ok. I was just thinking about a friend of mine. He's in a very funny situation right now. His girlfriend just broke up with him and now, it looks like all the girls in the school are trying to get him."

"Meow." The cat replied sadly.

"Why are you so sad? Is your owner one of the hopefuls?" she asked playfully.

If she didn't know any better, she'd have swore the cat shook his head in response.

"If anyone should be sad it's him since he's got enough problems as it is." Then, after a few seconds of silence, she continued, "Or me. I'm not even bothering going after him. I'm a Slytherin, and he's Harry Potter. What hope would I have anyways." she said to herself sadly as she pet her furry friend.

Harry was torn. As he saw it, he had two choices. He could either not do anything, and she'd let him go after she was done here, confirming her guess that Harry Potter had too many problems to take time out to come and talk with her, or he could reveal himself, and fess up to what he had heard. At least, those were the only two options he could think of at the moment. Seeing that there really wasn't any way out of this that wouldn't hurt her, he decided to go with number two, and maybe he could salvage something of this situation. After all, he really did prefer spending time with her over Susan, so this might work out.

He rolled over so that she was now rubbing his furry belly and slowly began to revert to his normal appearance. She had been so focused on staring at the ceiling, and her own depression over the situation, to notice at first, but she soon realized that what she was rubbing was no longer furry, and weighed a WHOLE lot more then the cat had.

Saying she was startled when she looked down to see Harry would be an understatement.

"Surprise?" he said sheepishly, before getting up slowly.

She never took his eyes off of him as he sat up beside her. "Harry? What...? Was that...? You're an animagus?" she sputtered.

He was embarrassed, not at keeping this from her, but at hearing what he had heard her mutter before, nodded in the affirmative.

"You heard...everything didn't you." she asked quietly. He nodded again, apologetically.

"Maybe I should go." she said, after turning really red, and looking as though she was about to cry.

She made to get up, but he grabbed her hand before she could leave. "Please don't. I'd really like you to stay." he said honestly with a small smile as he held on to her hand.

Looking at him and seeing he was telling the truth and not just humouring her, she sat back down.

"I couldn't let you think I had forgotten about you. I had actually been looking forward to our visit all day. You're one of the few people who I actually enjoy talking to." he told her looking down at her hand, which was still in his.

"You're not mad that I want to go out with you just like everyone else?" she asked, nervously. Whether she was nervous about the question, or nervous about the fact that the boy she had just admitted to liking was holding her hand, and playing with her fingers, wasn't clear though.

He smiled, "No, because I know you're not after me for the same reason as everyone else. You know me as Harry, not just the Boy-who-lived, and it's the real Harry you know. So I'm not too worried. I'm just fed up with people chasing me because of what I am, and not who I am." he explained.

She smiled and let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She had thought he'd laugh at her, or be disgusted, but she should have known better. He was still fiddling with her hand when he said this, but the fact that he didn't tell her whether or not he liked her back was a bit disconcerting.

As if he could read her thoughts, he responded, "As for how I feel, I just don't know right now. Yes I like you, but I don't want to rush into anything so soon after breaking up with Susan. I don't want to get two weeks into this relationship to find out it was just a rebound. I don't want to hurt you too." he said with a frown as he let go of her hand, and started to look down at his own.

Harry was still feeling very guilty about Susan. He had known from the start that there was something missing. He could feel the doubts about dating her each and every day and just because he didn't feel those things when thinking about Sally-Ann, didn't mean they wouldn't surface as soon as they started dating. He wanted to get Susan completely out of his system before even thinking of another relationship. After all, this one had lasted two months and he was really close to her. He didn't want to ruin another friendship just because he thought she was good looking and easy to talk to.

"I understand Harry." she said with a genuine smile. This had been the best news she had heard all day. Harry didn't think of her as a Slytherin, he didn't think of her as an inferior, he thought of her as not only a friend, but someone who he was thinking of having a relationship with. "Take as long as you need. I'll be here." she finished, before leaning in and kissing him soundly on the lips.

He answered in kind, pulling her close and opening his mouth. They continued for about a minute, before separating.

"I just thought I'd give you a little bit of incentive." she said slyly before winking.

"And _I'm_ the one they call a flirt?" he muttered, thinking back to his conversation with Ginny.

"Who calls you a flirt?" she asked, completely perplexed.

Smiling he replied, "Someone who knows me much better then you Miss Perks." Then he leaned over and kissed her quickly on the lips.

This caused her smile to increase ten fold. Harry had just kissed her, and not just responded.

"I'm sorry." he started looking a little worried, as he separated from her, and sat himself on the other end of the couch. "I shouldn't have done that. I really need to think about this first. Is that ok with you? Really?" he asked, clearly worried that he was giving her mixed signals.

She just kept smiling. "Like I said, take all the time you need. But if you do need a kiss, even if you haven't decided, I'm more then happy to help you with that if for no other reason then I was helping out a friend." she said seductively, and then made her way across the couch on all fours, and then curled up in his lap, as she had been the day he first brought her to this room.

Harry gave her a grin of his own. "So, have you made Daphne and Tracey that same offer then?" She just slapped him playfully in the arm in retaliation, before settling, once again, into his lap.

They spent the rest of the evening chatting about everything. He told her how he wasn't really too broken up over Susan, but he still had things to work through. He also told her that he had been more hurt by his 'adopted' sister than by his former girlfriend. She just sat and listened. Occasionally she'd give him a hug or a quick kiss when he looked like he needed it.

They talked for a couple of hours till just before curfew at which time they decided to head back. Harry jumped behind the couch, transformed into his kneazle form, and then back into his cat disguise before Sally-Ann could see that he was a magical animagus. He didn't want to give away _too_ many of his secrets after all.

She carried him until they reached the Slytherin common room entrance where she said goodbye to him, and kissed his little whiskered nose before setting him down and slipping inside.

Once she was gone, he turned back into his kneazle form and ran through the hallway. When he was around the corner from the Gryffindor common room, he transformed back into his human form and made his way around the corner.

Unfortunately for him, he walked face first into someone.

"Sorry, I should have been watching where I was going." said Harry as he rubbed his forehead. If his hand hadn't been blocking his view, he would have noticed a prone Cho Chang sprawled out on the floor in front of him looking like Christmas had just come early.

"That's ok Harry. But what are you doing out after curfew?" asked the Headgirl.

Without even moving his hand away from his face, he knew who it was. He groaned mentally, thinking of how she had been staring at him all the way through supper, and winking indecently. The worse part about this was that she was right. It _was_ after curfew now, and he wasn't supposed to be out. This could get painful.

"I was just coming back from the library," he lied "I had lost track of time, and Madame Pince didn't see me in the corner till after curfew. I was hoping to just slip back to Gryffindor tower unnoticed."

"The library? I was in there earlier, and I didn't see you." What she didn't say was that she had been in there _looking for him_ earlier, but Harry wasn't so daft not to figure that one out for himself by the confused look on her face.

"I was purposely trying to hide from the gaggle of giggling girls that has been following me around all day." he muttered, hoping she'd take the hint. But she didn't.

"Well then, it's a good think I'm not one of them." she said, flashing him a bright smile and stepped a little closer.

"Ya," he said while at the same time thinking 'oh brother', "But I better be going before a prefect from Slytherin comes by and isn't as forgiving about me being out this late. Thanks Cho. See you." he said, as he tried to slip past her, unfortunately, he wasn't the only seeker in the school with quick reflexes.

Harry's plan had backfired. His attempted escape had cost him valuable centimeters of separation. He could now practically feel her breath on his face, and was cursing himself for not being quicker. He was very close to casting a full body bind, or a stunner and then saying it was someone else, but he decided that the last thing he needed was to get expelled for attacking a student, the Headgirl no less.

"I never said you were free to go Mr. Potter." she said with a sly smile as she placed a hand on his chest. "I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you a choice. Either you can lose 10 house points for being out after curfew, or ...you can kiss me." she said, puckering up, and closing her eyes.

It didn't take Harry very long to decide and he replied, "Ten points it is then, goodnight Cho." as he slipped past her and dashed into the common room before a dazed and confused Cho even had a chance to blink.

* * *

Once inside the common room he threw himself on the couch in front of the fireplace and sighed a deep sigh of relief. That had been way too close. 

"What's the matter?" asked Athena, who had been sitting in one of the chairs beside the couch during his arrival.

Harry tensed. He couldn't believe he had been so distracted as to not make sure the common room was safe before turning himself into a prone target for any Gryffindor hopefuls to attack him. He nervously looked up, but noticed that Athena was the only one in the common room, and though he thought it strange that the rest of the girls weren't all waiting up for him, but not complaining, he relaxed and figured he was safe.

"Cho just caught me out after curfew, and tried to blackmail me into kissing her. I took the point loss and made a mad dash for the tower instead." he explained, never lifting his head.

Athena laughed at the story, got up and made her way behind the couch.

"You know what always helps me when I'm stressed?" she asked him matter of factly.

"No, what?" he asked in a muffled voice, his face still buried in the cushions.

"A good massage. Get up." she said. Harry complied thinking that a good massage might actually do him some good.

Harry had thought himself an observant guy as of late. He noticed a good number of the girls that had been hitting on him, and he had been 100 certain that he had figured out who every single one of them was. So when Athena had offered him a massage, he wasn't that concerned, having ruled her out as one of Hermione's sisters, and an extension of his unofficially adopted family. However, about a couple of minutes into the massage, when her hands started slipping further and further down his chest with every pass, causing her upper body to press up against his back, he was shocked to feel that she was quite possibly enjoying this massage even more then he was.

He stood up quickly and stepped away from the couch.

"Something the matter Harry?" she asked, with an almost sad expression on her face.

"N...no. Nothing's the matter." he said, a little nervously, "just tired." Then poorly faking a yawn, "really tired. Gonna go to bed. G'night." he said before racing up the stairs.

"Damn!" she muttered, before stomping up the stairs to the girls' dorm, her master plan having failed miserably.

* * *

Harry's day in Potter mansion had gone by uneventfully. He was SO thankful that Ginny acted normal around him, though he could have done without all the teasing. He talked to her about it, about how he was still hurting because of Hermione and even told her about Sally-Ann, and how he was actually debating going out with her now, and asked Ginny's opinion on the matter. 

She told him it was probably just a re-bound relationship, and that he was just setting himself up for another fall, but she said it was up to him, and she would stick by him no matter what. She then admitted to knowing what it's like to need comfort after a break up. After breaking up with Michael she had run crying to Colin, who was her best friend at the time, and she ended up kissing him. She said that they then dated secretly for a little while, but by the time she figured out her emotions, it was too late and when it ended it affected the friendship, and they'd never be as close as they were before because of it.

"You never told me about Colin before. Even when we were talking about ex's and everything. Why not?" he asked curiously.

"He asked me not to mention it, and I told him I wouldn't. I felt so bad afterwards that I had used him that I tried to forget it happened. Talking about it only reminded me how I lost a good friend. I didn't mean to keep it from you, I just don't like talking about it." she admitted honestly.

"It's ok, Gin. We've all kept secrets." he told her sadly, thinking of a couple of the skeletons that he had dangling in his closet currently.

They had done their homework and fenced together and Harry's skills with a blade were increasing rapidly. Ginny had also decided, a few days earlier, that she wanted to write the Ancient Runes OWL even though she had dropped the course in favour of her brother's class. Harry had agreed and become her personal tutor. They'd spend two hours every mansion day going over it, and she was currently ahead of her former classmates in Hogwarts.

* * *

All too soon the day was over, and Harry was forced to return to the realm of chattering chicks that were all out for a piece of him. He came out in Godric's office and flashed to his bed as he did every morning upon his return, and went to the washroom to get ready. 

Upon returning to his dorm room, Harry's roommates noticed that he looked really jumpy and quite worried.

"Harry, what's wrong?" asked a confused Dean as he pulled on his robes. "You're looking a little stressed. Is this about your fight with Susan?"

Harry shook his head.

"Is it about your fight with Hermione?" inquired Ron

He sighed, but still shook his head no again.

"Is it the way Parvati and Athena and that obscenely huge group of girls are constantly trying to corner you?" Seamus chimed in "I heard them talking about how they were each gonna try and catch you at some point today. They were even comparing methods down in the common room last night before you got back. I think Athena won the straw draw and got to go first." he said, with a chuckle.

Harry noticeably paled and seemed to turn a light shade of green as he nodded. His suspicions about Athena were now confirmed.

"I can't go out there. Half of them are waiting downstairs in the common room. I just know it! I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt there feelings, but I'm just getting frustrated with all the attention." admitted Harry "I wish they'd all just leave me alone!" he added, starting to let his annoyance show. What made it worse, was that today was Saturday, and they wouldn't even have classes to distract them.

"You got TONS of girls chasing you? What's the problem? I wish I could have some of that action!" said Ron grinning. Though in truth, he had still been unable to get Hermione's kiss out of his head, even when he was spending time with Laura.

"Heck, I'd settle for just one." sighed Neville quietly.

"YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!" yelled an exasperated Harry, his nerves getting the better of him. Trying to calm down a little he explained "I've got Parvati, Athena, Lavender and even Cho trying to corner me. Susan and Hermione aren't talking to me right now…and if I didn't know those two better I'd think they were out for my blood. The only girl around this place that even acts remotely _normal_ is Ginny. She's the only friend of the opposite sex I've got, who's actually listening to me and not trying to jump me every chance she gets!" He decided to leave Sally-Ann out of his rant since he didn't want them to think that he ran after her as soon as Susan dumped him.

At this the guys fell silent, until Dean started chuckling…

Harry's anger was just fueled by Dean's reaction, "WHAT is so AMUSING?"

His laughter dropped to a quiet chuckle "…so let me see if I got this straight…you got 4 that wanna own you, 2 that wanna stone you and one says she's a friend of yours?" After asking he started humming a tune, shook his head, placed one hand on Harry's shoulder and the looked up into his eyes saying "take it easy…take it easy…don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy…" After this, he started laughing even louder and removed his hand from Harry's shoulder to hold his side as he started to hurt from the laughter.

Harry's anger fell from his face, and with a sudden realization of what he was saying he grinned and finished the sentence for him " lighten up while you still can, don't even try to understand, just find a place to make your stand, and take it easy."

After finishing he broke into fits of even more severe laughter, which caused Dean to howl even harder as well.

Ron, Neville and Seamus were just standing there in wonder and confusion, just shaking their heads.

"What the hell is all this about? One second you're about to rip his head off, and the next you're joining him for a round of the chuckles?" asked Ron.

"It's a song" explained Harry between fits of laughter "it's a muggle song…but it's so _true_ !" and laughed even harder.

"What? This is such a regular occurrence for muggle guys that they have songs about it?" Neville asked. "Damn…sometimes I wish _I_ was a muggle!"

"No," Harry, still laughing, tried to explain "it's just one song, it doesn't happen often." His laughter died a little as he continued "It's just ironic that there always seems to be a song to fit every situation!"

"Don't you think?" asked Dean "It's like rain on your wedding day…" which brought on a whole new fit of laughter from Harry and vacant, confused expressions from the other three boys.

"Hurmph…Muggle jokes" stated an exasperated Ron "I'll never understand them."

* * *

"ARGHHHHH!. Boys! I just don't understand them" cried an exasperated Hermione " why can't they be simple? Like us!" she asked the other girl. 

Athena tried to explain what actually happened, again, but Hermione cut her off and said that she didn't want to talk about it.

That's when Ginny who had been reading on the couch, had had enough. She got up and went over to the table, very determined.

She proceeded to tear a strip out of Hermione for betraying Harry without even listening to his side of the story. Ginny told her how Harry had confessed to her about how upset he was that he had lost the person who he had thought to be his truest friend at the school, and as much as Hermione didn't want to listen, she didn't have much of a choice.

"...And now he's going back to blaming himself for everything!" continued Ginny, "The girl was almost RAPED! And she just tried to show her gratitude, but all you can do is complain about how he hurt Susan? I _KNOW_ you're not that dumb. I just wish that you could see past your false assumption that '_all_ men are dense and completely insensitive'. Just because my prat of a brother hasn't realised how much you like him, doesn't make Harry an unobservant and insensitive git too. Besides, how long was it before you even admittted you had these feelings for him yourself, hmm? You're just as dense as they are, but instead of facing it, and dealing with it, you take it out on the most emotionally scarred person in this castle. Here and I thought you were the smart one!" she finished, before storming out of the portrait hole.

Hermione just continued to sit there, unmoving and silent. She looked deflated, and had finally realized that she had made a big mistake.

* * *

**AN:** For those who missed it, the reference was to the song "take it easy" by the Eagles. I really hope that this isn't in violation to the rules of the site, but I had written that bit a long time ago, and have been anxiously awaiting the time when I could actually post it. I hope you enjoyed it. 

I hope that all of you who have read HBP liked it, and for those of you who haven't, I will suggest you do(read it that is. Whether or not you like it is up to you). Though not my favorite one thus far, it is canon, and has a lot of interesting twists that I really didn't see coming, and some things I thought obvious, that didn't happen. I mean honestly, why didn't she give Harry his own magical mansion. I thought FOR SURE she'd be going that way ;) Anyways...just to let you know, I will NOT be including any of the new plot twists of characters into this fic, though the sequel will probably have some spoilers in it. This gives you lot who haven't read it a chance to do just that without me rushin ya.

Thanks to my beta: ChikaDee.

Farfumsane.


	31. Mending Burnt Bridges

**Disclaimer:** I'm still poor. I think that that's enough reassurance that I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, profiting from my musings. Though your appreciation of my work is payment enough tear.

**Chap 30: Mending burnt bridges.**

With the help of his invisibility cloak and knowledge of secret passages, Harry was able to make it through the next day without incident. He had had a few close calls, including one with a bunch of 5th year Ravenclaws who had been searching for him methodically most of the afternoon, but he had managed to evade them.

When he finally got to the nearly empty DA common room that evening, he was exhausted, and threw himself onto the couch in front fire.

"Uh...Harry?" asked a timid female voice that Harry immediately recognized as Hermione.

He sat up quickly, and turned to face her. She could see the hurt in his eyes, and it was too much for her to take. She had spent the whole day looking for him, and cursing herself for turning her back on her first ever real friend: a friend who had faced bullies, insults and even a troll for her. A friend who was more like her sibling then her two sisters.

She couldn't take it anymore and started to cry.

"I-I'm s-so sorry Harry. I should have trusted you, I should have at least listened." she sputtered between sobs.

Harry, seeing her genuine distress at her behaviour, was torn. She had really hurt him. She had turned her back on him when he needed support and all over a girl. He smiled sadly despite himself and pulled her into a hug before started in chuckle slightly.

Hermione stopped crying almost instantly when she heard him laughing, and was becoming mad! 'How could he be laughing? I'm pouring my heart out and he's laughing at me!'

_Oh no you don't! You will NOT go jumping to conclusions again. Until he tells you WHY he's laughing you will give him the benefit of a doubt._ That voice told her.

Hermione's anger dissipated slightly. 'Fine, but this better be good, and STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!'

"What, might I ask, is so funny?" she asked with a bit more of an edge then she had intended.

Harry smiled sheepishly at her. "It's a couple of things mixed together actually. The biggest is relief." Then with honesty pouring from his eyes, "It's been really hard having you mad at me, and I feel like I just took off a _really_ heavy backpack." he explained with a smile before it turned to a playful grin, "and the other is that I had seen the possibility of maybe getting into a fight with Ron over a girl, but I never thought WE'D have to worry about that."

Hermione smiled back at him. The voice had been right, she was over reacting...again.

'Thanks' Hermione thought.

_Don't mention it._ It replied.

'But I still don't want you in my head until you tell me who you are!" Hermione thought, wanting the last...thought.

Harry realized what was going on and smiled. 'You didn't have anything to do with this did you?'

_Maybe a little. Now stop talking to me and talk to her. I'm busy._ Ginny replied tersely.

"Thanks Hermione. I'm really sorry for all this happened. I never wanted to upset you, or Susan. I wasn't thinking and I let my hormones get the best of me." he concluded, rather guiltily.

"No Harry, I'm the one who should be apologizing. She was distressed, you had just had a big adrenaline rush, and you were comforting her. I shouldn't have over reacted. I mean really, you're a teenage boy for Pete's sake." she said with a playful grin of her own before leaning over and hugging him again.

"I've never told you this, or anyone else for that matter," she started again, "But you're my first real friend ever, Harry. You've always stuck up for me, even when you thought I was just an annoying know-it-all, you came and helped me. I'm sure that if it wasn't for you, Ron would never have befriended me either, and I'd be as alone as I was before coming here. I never had any friends in school. Athena was always the popular one, Demeter had her plants and I had my books. You're my best friend." she admitted with new tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

Harry smiled, with unshed tears of his own in his twinkling eyes. Not being able to think of anything to say, he just hugged her tight. She was one of his first real friends too, and the truest friend he'd ever had. It was nice to know she felt the same.

They had only been fighting for a couple of days, but they had both been so busy that they hadn't spent nearly as much time talking as they would have liked the last two months, so they spent the rest of the evening catching up.

* * *

The next day, in the mansion, Harry told Ginny about what had happened the night before, and how much better he felt now that they had worked it all out. 

"Thanks Gin. I know you had a hand in it last night, and I really appreciate it." said Harry as they went over her arithmacy homework.

Ginny smiled, "It was nothing Harry. I'm glad I could help."

"Now if we could just get her and Ron to admit they like each other! You should have heard the number of hints she dropped about it last night. It was nuts." chuckled Harry.

"Nuh-uh!" countered Ginny, shaking her head in the negative, "if you interfere, then the bets off. And do you know how many people would be upset with you? It's only a matter of time, and I have a feeling it'll be soon."

Harry laughed, "That's only because you picked 'November Hogsmeade weekend' in the pool. Besides, I really don't care about the bet anymore. I just hate seeing Hermione so upset." he admitted.

Ginny smiled slyly in returned, "That's just cause _you_ picked Halloween night, so you have no chance of winning now." She said before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Why do you keep doing that? One of these days I'm just gonna grab that tongue of yours when you stick it out and _then _we'll see how smug you look." he threatened with a grin.

"I'd like to see you try!" she replied, giving him a smirk, but keeping her tongue in check.

"We'll see."

* * *

The rest of his mansion day went by all to quickly for his liking. The morning after arrived and so did his constant quest to stay invisible. He wasn't sure how much longer he would have to evade the members of the opposite sex, but he planned on making an announcement about it tonight at the DA meeting, and see if there was anyway that they could help him. He knew that many of the girls that were chasing him were members, both new and old, but hopefully when they saw how upset he was about it they'd back off...hopefully. 

But right now, he had to find Susan. The last thing he wanted was to face her for the first time in front of all those people. He had to at least try to work it out before then.

So it was with that in mind that he slipped out of the Gryffindor common room under his trusty invisibility cloak and his map in hand.

After a couple hours of trying to find a time when she was alone, Harry decided to make brief stop in the kitchens. There he saw Dobby and Stewy who had been there helping out. Harry asked Dobby how Winky had been doing. This caused the happy elf's ears to droop slightly as he explained that though she was no longer getting drunk all the time, she still wasn't happy being one of many elves in the school.

Harry had an idea, and went to talk to her. After they chatted for a bit, she was much happier, and shortly after he left, Winky, Dobby and Stewy all disappeared to beginning working on the task given them by Stewy's young master.

Eventually, Harry finally found Susan sitting by herself in the library.

He removed his cloak in a secluded corner, not wanting to totally freak her out by just appearing in front of her, and made his way over to her table. Even if she did know about the cloak, it could still be a shock, and giving someone a heart attack was no way to start an apology.

She looked up briefly as he approached, but then looked back down again rather quickly and pretended to be writing something very important.

"Susan? I was wondering if you had a second." asked Harry, hesitantly.

"No." without even looking up, "I have too much to do, maybe later." she responded matter-of-factly, and with no emotion.

"Susan." he sighed quietly, "please?" asked Harry pleadingly, "I can't stand it when you're mad at me."

Susan finally looked up, and Harry noticed the tears in her eyes, and the anger on her face, "Then you should have thought about that BEFORE you started to suck face with a Slytherin back stabber!"

Now it was Harry's turn to be angry. He was fighting a very strong urge to stick up for his friend, knowing that it probably wasn't the wisest course of action at the moment. Swallowing his initial retort, he took a deep breath and tried again.

"It wasn't like that Susan. It only happened once..."

"One time too many! Do you know how this makes me feel? Do you know what others are saying about me now? They all say I drove you away, or that I wasn't good enough for Harry Potter. They say that 'Harry Potter should have known better then to go after a Hufflpuff, she could never have kept up with him.' " she said bitterly.

"WHO said that?" asked a now livid Harry. "I can't believe someone would say that, especially about you!" he stated earnestly. "Tell me who it was, and I'll go and straighten them out." he promised.

She looked at him in confusion, her tears still staining her face. Harry's anger dissipated, and he pulled out the chair next to her and fell into it in a defeated manner, "I guess I've lost my right to stick up for you, didn't I." he said dejectedly, before sighing.

"I'm really sorry, Susan. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't kiss her to make you feel bad, heck, it wasn't even me who kissed her, it was her kissing me. She wanted to thank me for saving her from Malfoy."

"What?" asked a still confused Susan, before sniffling. Susan had successfully ignored every single person who had come to her to explain Harry's side of the story and so had no idea what he was talking about.

"When I found her, she was unconscious and Malfoy's two goons were about to drag her to...his room." Harry said quietly. He hadn't wanted to betray Sally-Ann's trust in him, but he couldn't see any other way to explain this to Susan so that she'd understand. "I ended up taking out the two oafs rather quickly, but Malfoy turned out to be more of a challenge, and she woke up while I was dealing with him. She was so scared. After finishing off Malfoy, I helped her up and brought her somewhere where she could compose herself. She ended up crying on my shoulder for a good half an hour, and then after she kissed me to thank me. I admit that I might have let the kiss linger a little longer then I should have, but it was innocent." He paused to look Susan straight in the eyes. "I never did it to hurt you. I would _never_ intentionally hurt one of my friends, especially not someone I'm dating. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I had promised her that I wouldn't tell anyone. Even now, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but you deserved to know the truth."

Susan still looked sad, but all her anger had fled, "So...you didn't do it because you wanted to break up with me? You didn't do it because I wasn't...good enough for you?" she asked before looking down at her hands.

Harry reached out, and lifted her chin and looker her in the eyes. "Susan, I would never, ever do that to you. This happened over a month ago, and it only happened the once." Lowering his hand, and then sighing, he spoke. "This happened long before we started to drift apart. I wanted to talk to you about that privately later. I never knew I was gonna say that. I swear it. I tried to say the night after our first date. It was a very good kiss." The words, 'but not my best' were left unspoken.

Susan was glad that he was being honest, and to be honest herself, she too had felt that they weren't really working out but she still didn't want to lose such a great, caring guy, so she tried to fool herself that everything was fine. Her greatest fear was that Harry had been seeing Sally-Ann behind her back and that was the reason they had been drifting apart.

She looked a little worried, and sad. She reached out and took his hand, "What are you saying Harry? Are you saying that... we're over...permanently?" she asked with a couple more tears sliding down her cheek.

He wanted to point out to her that it was _her_ who broke up with him initially, but knew that it wasn't a good idea if he wanted to salvage the friendship, and so only nodded, refusing to make eye contact.

Susan exhaled and sobbed slightly. Harry hesitated, but eventually reached out and gave her a hug, which she accepted willingly. 'I hope she doesn't get the wrong impression, but...' upon thinking this, he sent out feelings of comfort, and friendship, but nothing romantic. He didn't want to make her think that he still cared for her that way, but all the same, he could never stand to see a woman cry.

Her sobs died away, and eventually sniffed a couple of times, before separating herself from Harry, "I really should have realised it. It just...hurts. I had a feeling this was going to happen. The more I spent time with Hermione, the more I knew that you and I were great friends, but..." then sighing again, "This wont be easy for me to get over, as much as I don't want to be upset or jealous, I am. But I will get over it." Then, smiling sadly, she continued, "Thank you for forcing me to listen. I needed to hear all that, as much as I didn't like everything I heard." Hesitating slightly, she then asked, "We...we're still friends though...right?" she asked hopefully.

Harry smiled a genuine smile, and so did she when she saw it. "Of course we are, Susan. Just try and stop me." he said, before hugging her again quickly.

"Thanks, Harry. But I really should get back to my work now." Her smile had seemed to vanish again, but at least she looked more peaceful then before.

Realizing that he was being dismissed, and that he probably wouldn't be able to spend time alone with her much anymore without it feeling extremely awkward, he responded, "Ok. I'll see you at D.A. tonight though, right?"

She smiled again, if not a little strained, "Of course. Just try and stop me." she said genuinely, in imitation of his response.

He smiled back, and said goodbye, before leaving the library in a much better mood then he had been in upon entering.

* * *

The whole group was gathered in Harry's 'portable Room of Requirement' and were waiting for their esteemed headmaster to make his entrance. They had all noticed that the RoR was set up like a mini-Great Hall with Five tables instead of four, the heads of the units sitting up at the head table, and the rest of the staff sitting at staff table directly in front of it. Neither the old or new members of the DA, save the Mansion Group, knew what was going on, but they all sat quietly and waited. 

Harry had decided to set up the room, and hide under his invisibility cloak and wait for everyone to get there before appearing. He wanted to limit his exposure to the female members of the DA until he made his little announcement tonight.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Harry slipped into the partially open door behind the headmaster's chair (it was no bigger then a broom closet, but Harry needed a place to ditch the invisibility cloak). He dropped the cloak opened the door fully and walked up to his place at the head table.

Upon seeing Harry, the chattering that had been going on ended, and the room was waiting to find out what was going on.

"First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming again tonight. You don't have to be here, but you make time for this none the less, and I admire your dedication.

"Secondly, I thought that I'd try a new format. We will begin each meeting in this manner, so that I, or another member of the staff, can address you before we start the drills. This will probably make things easier when we finally assign you to your units, but until then, I invite you to sit wherever you like. Heck, even after you have your groups I encourage you to sit anywhere you like." he added with a smile, getting some chuckles from the assembled group, especially the staff who were all used to sitting at different house tables in the Great Hall, and knowing that Harry was one of the biggest offenders there.

"Thirdly, and this is on a personal note, I want to tell _each_ and _every_ girl, who is presently trying to corner me in the halls to LAY OFF!" he yelled, causing more then a couple of the people in the hall to jump in their seats, and quite of few of the girls to look uncomfortable.

"Yes, Susan and I have broken up. NO! It has nothing to do with her not being good enough for me or anything like that and if I ever hear anyone,_ ever_, badmouthing Susan, or any of my other friends for that matter, you will regret it. NO! I am not currently looking for a girlfriend." he said causing several girls to look sad. "and YES! I sill start retaliating soon if this keeps up. I am sick and tired of having to sneak around this school so as not to be accosted between classes." seeing the confused looks on some of the younger girls' faces, he thought he'd better translate, "waylayed, stalked, stopped, ambushed, cornered, etc. If, I was out to find a new girlfriend, and I say if cause it's not the case right now, I would not pick someone who tried to corner me in the hallway and threw themselves at me." he explained, not even looking in Cho's direction. "And any further hallway, classroom, quidditch pitch or _common room_ ambushes will be met with retaliation on my part. Does everyone understand?" This got him a couple of 'ya's and quite a few guilty nods.

"Thank you. I would appreciate it if you'd tell all your friends as well, cause this is a warning for everyone, not just DA members. I just thought you all deserved to know that next time it happens, I'll be treating it as a challenge to duel and will respond accordingly. Understood?" More guilty nods were seen, and a few worried faces this time too.

"Excellent." he said with a real smile this time. "Now, to show that there really are no hard feelings, yet, I have decided to take a break from training tonight, and treat you all to a social night with friends and food. That being said," Harry clapped, and large amounts of food appeared on the table, mostly muggle things that weren't served in the Great Hall, like Pizza, buffalo wings, fish and chips, crisps, donuts and other great and wonderful greasy and sugar filled foods, not to mention copious amounts of nice, cold Pepsi for everyone. Winky had indeed been busy that day, but Harry knew that she had had some help from Stewy and his father. Then, with a very Dumbledorish twinkle in his eyes, he concluded. "Tuck in!"

* * *

After a couple of hours at DA, Harry and the mansion group, save Ron, who had promised Blaise a couple of games on chess and Ginny, who was still up in the DA room as well with Justin, decided to spend the rest of the night in Gryffindor common room. Neville sat on Harry's one side, and much to Athena's annoyance, Hermione on his other with Demeter and Athena sitting across from him. Even though she had promised not to corner him or try to trick him into anything, she still planned on sticking as close to him as possible in hopes that he'll eventually change him mind. 

Dean and Seamus had also joined them, before heading off to the DA common room with Parvati and Lavender. Those two girls just weren't getting the hint when it came to Harry, even with his earlier warning, and he was quickly losing his temper. Luckily, Dean and Seamus noticed this and had taken it upon themselves to distract the girls for the rest of the evening. It probably helped that the two guys had a thing for the two gossips, but what would come of that was anyone's guess.

As they were sitting around, and chatting with passerbyes, Hagrid made his way over to the group. Harry had all but forgotten that Hagrid had had become a student again since he still lived out in his cabin, but as a student of this house, he was given the password and came by occasionally to do homework with his classmates.

"Heya Hagrid." Harry called out, upon seeing the large man enter the common room.

"'Ello 'Arry. 'Ow are ye tonight?" asked Hagrid, looking a little worried about something.

"I'm fine, what about you Hagrid? How's school been for ya? You look a little distracted." Harry noted, as the others nodded.

"Er...'Arry, I was wondrin if I could speak wit ye for a moment, by yer self." Hagrid asked, almost embarrassed.

"Sure thing Hagrid, lets go for a walk." replied a concerned Harry, "I'll be back later guys, don't worry, Hagrid will protect me." he said with a sly grin.

After heading out of the portrait hole, Harry asked, "So, what's up Hagrid? Is everything ok?"

Hagrid wrung his hands before answering, "I...I was wonderin, 'Arry, if ye would 'elp me. I'm havin...problems wit Transfigurati'n." The large man finished with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Harry smiled, he had thought is was something serious, like another Norbert incident or something. "I'd be happy to help, Hagrid." he answered, smiling. " But why all the secrecy? You could have asked me in the common room."

Hagrid looked really embarrassed, "No I cou'dn't. They all t'ink t'at I'm a teacher. I cannae let them now I can't even turned a tea pot into a turtl'." the half-giant admitted.

Harry smiled, and nodded in understanding. "You really have problems in Transfiguration? And here I thought that would me one of your best subjects after you gave Dudley that tail when we first met." Harry explained with a laugh.

If possible, Hagrid went even redder, "I was tryin' to turn 'im into a pig complet'ly, but mess'd up." admitted Hagrid.

Harry wanted to laugh, but noticing his friends discomfort, he smiled, "Don't worry Hagrid, that was still my first real memory of magic, and I think it was brilliant." he said.

Hagrid smiled back, no longer embarrassed, and thanked Harry. They made plans to get together in the evenings a couple of nights a week out in his hut just before curfew and then headed back to the common room to enjoy the rest of their night.

* * *

The next day, Harry was busy. He had a prank to pull after all. 

He felt that he should be using his powers of prank for good, and not evil, but what to do? Technically, by supplying Peeves with all his ammunition, Harry had already fulfilled his Marauder requirements, but there was just something about a pulling a good prank yourself that Harry enjoyed.

He had been trying to think of something good for a while now. He had made an extreme effort to strengthen his mental shields so that Ginny couldn't read his thoughts on this subject. He didn't think he let things slip often, especially after the last one, he had put a good deal of time and effort into keeping those shields up 24/7, and was now rather adept at it. He had come to the realization that both disciplines were slightly different from each other, though related. Legilimency, after all, read memories, not thoughts, so an occlumentic shield protected his memory, both long term and short term, but Telepaths read thoughts, and so he needed a different shield to protect that part of his brain.

This revelation had led to other realizations for Harry. If it was possible to erect different shields within the mind to protect it from different forms of mental intrusions, was it possible to erect shields in the mind to protect from other things too, like suggestion, or pain. He'd have to look into this more, but if he could pull it off, this might actually be something that can block two of the unforgivables, since really, all those spells did were make suggestions to the target's brain, which the body responded to.

'But anyways...back to the prank at hand.' thought Harry, realizing his mind had once again wandered. He had planned it thoroughly, and now all he had to do was bring it to fruition.

* * *

The Headmaster was enjoying a nice, quiet breakfast, when he noticed, that only three of the four houses seemed to have people sitting at them. He would normally just excuse himself briefly and go up to his office to check the map on his desk, but it would appear that the enchantment that was once very strong on that map had recently all but withered. The map now only showed the headmasters office and the staircase leading up to it. Eventually he would find the time to remake it, but alas, there had been so much to do with the return of Voldemort that his hobby of keeping tabs on the everyday movement of the students had taken a backseat. 

He chose instead to address the head of house of the missing students instead.

"Professor Flitwick," began the headmaster, "Where are your students this morning?"

The charms professor seemed as confused as the headmaster at this, "I have no idea headmaster. I have not seen one of them yet this morning."

The headmaster looked around the hall again, this time for a specific student. The one he was looking for was there, and was looking as innocent as ever, though the twinkle in his eyes was unmistakable.

Apparently unable to avoid the Great Hall any longer, the Ravenclaws began filing in. Each one of them was dressed in a white muggle dress shirt, complete with pocket protectors, pens and obnoxiously loud ties. They all wore black dress pants that were several inches too short for them held up by suspenders, their hair was flat and oily, with the exception of a very noticeable cowlick and to complete the ensemble, they all wore glasses that were taped together in the middle that resembled Professor Trelawny's in thickness.

Needless to say, the rest of the hall broke out into fits of laughter. The Ravenclaws seemed a tad annoyed, but they needn't worry, each house would have their turn soon enough.

All of a sudden, a message appeared on the back wall above the door,

THIS MOMENT OF MERIMENT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD MARAUDERS: MESSRS PRONGS, PADFOOT, MOONY AND MYTH. BEWARE! WE'RE BACK!

Some laughed at the message, but a few others, mostly teachers, had a look of fear in their eyes. They remembered the marauders, and though not all of them knew who the marauders were, they were not looking forward to their return. Yet another reaction, that of Professor Snape, was one of pure, unadulterated loathing. He was one of the few who knew exactly who the Marauders had been, and he had a pretty good idea of who the new one was. Unfortunately, said student was no longer in his class and so he couldn't exact revenge for that students actions. He'd just have to make a point of searching out young Harry Potter while he was walking around in the halls.

The headmaster had a pretty good idea of the identity of Mr. Myth as well. Looking over at the Gryffindor table he made eye contact with Mr. Potter. The young man smiled innocently then made a light golden halo appear over his head for a brief second before vanishing it with a wink. Dumbledore thought he saw two small horns appear just after the halo vanished, but it was so brief that the headmaster decided that it must have been his imagination.

* * *

"You must have been dreamin' it mate." said Harry with a grin. 

"You can deny it all you want, _Myth_," whispered Ron, "I know what I saw. I hope you know that as soon as I animagus form is done, I want in!"

Harry just pretended not to hear as he continued to walk down the halls.

"By the way Harry," started Neville, "How is it that we're walking down the hall, just the three or us, and were not being swamped by any of your adoring fans?" he asked curiously. "Do you really thin that the speech you gave them is working that well?

Harry grinned, "I doubt it. I've been working on a new charm actually. The only downside is that it only lasts about half an hour, then I have to wait an hour before re-casting it."

"What charm's that Har?" asked Ron grinning, knowing full well that Harry wasn't a big fan of that nick name, as he had been hearing all to often from the 'franticly fawning female fan freaks' as Harry had called them at lunch, causing Ron to snort his pumpkin juice. Though he was still confused at Harry's comment of "That's two for two", he had decided to let it go.

"It's a variation on the 'muggle repelling notice-me-not charm'." explained Harry, "it makes me unseen to members of the opposite sex, both muggle and witch, but like I said...it only lasts for half an hour. It can also be negated if the girl in question is very strong willed, or has a natural immunity to that type of spell."

"So, right now, to girls who pass us, it just looks like Ron and I are talking to each other, and there's just a large gap between us?" asked a confused Neville.

"Not quite," answered Harry, "since you're with me, and we're talking, you're kinda half included in the spell. If a girl isn't looking for you specifically, then they can't see any of us, but if there was a girl looking for you or Ron specifically, since you weren't part of the original target of the spell, they'd be able to find you. Do you understand?" asked Harry, hoping that they did, since he wasn't sure he could explain it again.

"Ya, I think so. So unless someone is looking for me or Neville directly, we're all just kinda unrecognizable people walking down the hall that no one takes notice of?" Again floored by Ron's new intellect and understanding, Harry merely nodded mutely.

As they turned they exited the castle, they came across Demeter on her way to the greenhouses as well.

"Hey Neville." said Demeter to which Neville just returned a greeting. Ron, on the other hand just pulled Harry back, and started walking slightly behind the other two.

"Harry? Has your spell finished already?" asked Ron looking as though he was trying to figure something out.

Harry just shook his head, not thinking much of it.

"So Demeter was looking for Neville?" asked Ron with a grin.

Harry finally realizing what his friend was talking about, "Either that, or she's one of the strong willed ones. She is a triplet after all, and they are quite magical." said Harry, playing devil's advocate.

"True." admitted Ron, and thought nothing else of it.

* * *

**AN:** Ihave a complaint! There are WAY to many fics out there, and they all seem to have great pranks, leaving me with no original ideas. This disturbs me. Just so you all know, I am never intentionally copying a prank, though it may happen accidentally since I haven't read everything out there, and some of the things I have read, had pranks that I thought up that I thought were original :S (who'd have thought there was already a fic out there with the victims dressed up as the village people and singing YMCA? I was really disappointed when I read that one, I wanted to use it!) Anyways, I'll do my best to be original, but if you see something similar to someone else's, please believe it wasn't intentional. 

Farfumsane


	32. Quidditch

**Disclaimer:**Not mine, all Hers. Loved to claim it all, but I can't and I'm still poor. I know, not very creative, but alas, that's all I got.

**Chapter 31: Quidditch**

The rest of November had swam by pretty fast and with little to no action.

The hordes of adoring 'Harry fans' had died off soon after that DA meeting. He only had to challenge a girl to a duel once for most of them to realize he wasn't kidding. She declined, rather shyly and quite afraid, before she quickly scurried off. Since it hadn't been official, without the required five wizards present over the legal age to witness the challenge, there was no loss of family honour or respect for the young girl. This incident, however, hadn't stopped all of them, mind you.

The more persistent ones were still trying to get into Harry's good graces in more subtle way. On a certain level, Harry had to respect their dedication. They had a goal, and they weren't going to let a little thing like a threat from the school's most powerful wizard, deter them. It's for this reason that they he never challenged them to a duel, though he did tend to let a spell or two slip on occasion in their presence. Just ask Parvati, who suddenly lost her voice midway through dinner one night before, only to regain it the minute Harry left the Great Hall.

The whole Ron and Hermione situation hadn't been worked out yet either by the looks of things. Ron and Laura had never really made their dating official, though they had occasionally kissed, cuddled and even held hands in public from time to time. When she finally approached him a couple of weeks after Halloween to find out what they were (a couple, flirting friends, or what?) he really had to think about it for a bit. They ended up talking for a few hours, after which time they had decided to remain just friends. She wasn't really that upset. She was more frustrated then anything that he hadn't told her he wasn't interested like that earlier on. It had been fun while it lasted, but she knew she was still young, and though Ron was a great guy, there were many other mermen in the sea. Besides, it had become painfully obvious, at least to Laura anyways, that Ron had his heart set on another. The number of times he stole glances at the Gryffindor table while they were talking, or the way his eyes would glaze over as soon as the bushy haired brunette would walk into the room, were tell tale signs that this man was smitten, and not with her. So now, they still played the occasional game of chess, but were rarely seen in each other's company outside of the DA common room.

This turn of events had done wonders for the Mansion Group's dynamics. Since Ron had 'broken up' with Laura, Hermione had been in much higher spirits. She had become much less confrontational and even a bit more relaxed. If anyone had had doubts about how she felt about Ron before, they didn't anymore.

So it was with annoyance and frustration that Neville, Harry, Ginny and the two other triplets sat down to discuss their friends/siblings in the common room one night.

"Why wont they just clue in already?" asked an exasperated Athena, "I mean, it's SO obvious how they feel about each other."

"I know what you mean! We all know that Ron's a chicken when it comes to this kind of thing, but you'd think Hermione would be able to analyze the situation, come to the right conclusion and then act on it." said Ginny.

"Maybe she's just scared of what he might say, or that it might ruin their friendship." said Demeter quietly, before stealing a quick glanced at Neville.

Harry smiled a bit, "You wouldn't be talking from experience, would you Demeter?" he whispered to her slyly while the others continued.

Demeter turned a bright shade of red, but refused to answer.

'Well I'll be! Ron was right.' Harry thought, as Athena and Neville started arguing about whether or not the group should intervene.

_Right about what?_ Asked a curious Ginny.

'Demeter. He noticed that she liked Neville a few weeks ago, I didn't think anything of it, but it would appear he was right all along.' he explained.

_Really? That boy is so thick. He sees the smallest details and hints when it comes to others, but he's totally oblivious to things in his own life_.

'That shouldn't be so surprising. It's always easier to notice things as someone looking in on a situation. It's a LOT harder when it involves you. Take me for example, I've been able to tell that Ron fancied Hermione ever since our third year, but before spending a summer with Tonks and Remus, I was totally oblivious to the many flirtings of all the girls around me these last couple of years' he said.

_I noticed._ Replied Ginny, glumly, thinking of all her own failed attempts the previous years.

'What?'

_I meant, I noticed that you were more observant this year_. She covered. _But you'd think he'd be able to tell, having watched all the girls flocking around you._

'In his defense, Hermione is not like any of the girls 'flocking' around me, and you know it.' Harry thought, sticking up for his friend.

_True._

"Harry! Earth to Harry, you with us over there?" asked Athena as she wave her hand in front of his face.

"What? Oh, ya, just thinking. Just trying to think of a solution that will work." he lied, not wanting to reveal Ginny's secret.

"So were we, but the best we've come up with so far is to just lock them in a broom closet together, and leave them there until they figure it out." admitted Neville, making his feelings rather obvious

"Well? Why is that a bad plan?" asked Ginny.

"What do you mean? I was only joking. That's the dumbest..." started Athena, who had originally suggested it, before being cut off by Harry.

"It's brilliant! I mean, Ron's a strategist, and Hermione's a thinker. They're bound to figure out why we put them there within minutes, and then after that, they'll try to sort out the reasons we did it. What were the signs we might have seen, and why might we, as their best friends, think they fancied each other. After an hour, tops, I bet you galleons to donuts that they'll be snoggin."

"You think so?" asked a skeptical, but optimistic Demeter.

"Ya I do. What do you think Gin?" asked Harry.

"I think you're right. That's probably the only thing that will work actually." she admitted. "They're both way to dense and stubborn to figure it out on their own."

"Then it's settled." finalized Neville. "When should we do it?"

"Why not Saturday night, after the quidditch game?" suggested Athena. "If we win, Ron might feel a little more confident, and if we lose, Hermione might be able to take his mind off it." she suggested with a grin.

"I like it!" exclaimed Harry. "Saturday it is! Where are those two anyways?"

"Oh, Hermione said she wanted to go down the library." said Demeter.

"And Ron went for a snack to the kitchen." said Neville.

"Ok then, we'll put the plan in motion for Saturday. Now, to finalize the details..." started Harry.

The group continued their discussion and planning, completely oblivious to the two small strings that could be seen poking through the portrait entrance. Nor did they hear the muffled laughs of Hermione and Ron, who were crouched outside listening in, and holding hands.

* * *

After classes the next day, Ron and Ginny told the group that they were going to go down to the stables and visit Charlie. He was taking care of a couple of griffons and had invited them to come and see them. Harry and Hermione, who weren't doing too much, asked to come along. The two Weasley's agreed and the four of them headed off to the stables together. 

Once at the stables, they quickly found Charlie in the middle of shoveling griffon poop. If Harry remembered his lessons correctly, it wasn't very good fertilizer for most plants, but there were some exceptions. Mandrakes, for example, seemed to love the stuff but there couldn't be any magical residue in it, or the mandrakes potency come harvest time wasn't as strong, which meant it had to be collected the muggle way.

"Oi! Charlie!" called Ron loudly from the entrance.

"Hey guys, I'm almost done here, I'll be out in a second." he replied, before tossing a couple more shovels full into the wheel barrow and heading over.

"Hi Harry, Hermione. I see my siblings invited you for a look see." he said as he wiped his hands with a once white towel that had been hanging from the back pocket of his muggle overalls.

"How could I pass up an opportunity to see one of my ancestor's name sakes up close and personal." Harry admitted smiling.

"Quite right, never thought to invite you, sorry bout that. But, just so you know, these aren't golden griffon, just regular ones...not that the 'regular' once are any less spectacular mind you." said Charlie as he led them to the pens.

"I read that there is at most only one golden griffon for every 1000 griffons. And since it's become an endangered species, and there are only approximately 550 of them left, they haven't seen one for over 100 years." lectured Hermione, in her professor voice.

Ron just rolled his eyes, but smiled shortly after. And the other three just took it in stride. They were used to this kind of thing by now after all.

They noticed that the two animals were sleeping soundly, so they just stood there for a while and watched them.

"How many times has Hagrid been down here to see them, Charlie?" asked a grinning Harry.

"I'm surprised he isn't here right now actually." Charlie replied with a chuckle. "He'd been spending every free second he had here. Apparently he has a test next week in one of his classes, and told me he'd be studying tonight."

"Ya, Transfiguration." mumbled Ginny.

"Ah yes, regular transfiguration exams. I remember them fondly," started Harry, "I'm so glad that I'm in an accelerated program and don't have to write any of those pesky things anymore." he said, purposely trying to get a rise out of his fellow classmates.

Then it happened, just as Harry had warned her.

Ginny stuck out her tongue at him as a retort, and before she saw it coming, Harry had grabbed it between his thumb and his forefinger, just like a snitch.

"I warned you, didn't I?" asked a smug Harry, as he chuckled.

Ginny, who was now trying to free her tongue, using one had to try and pull Harry's arm away, and the other on his chest to try and push him away, "HISH MOT PUNNY!" she yelled.

No one, other then Harry, dared laugh. Charlie and Ron just had amazed looks on their faces, whether it be from Harry's amazingly quick reflexes, or his stupendous courage to take on their sister, whom they both feared, no one could tell. Hermione, on the other hand, looked like she was deep in thought, though you could see the grin playing on her lips.

Finally giving up the struggle, Harry let go, after which, Ginny wound up and punched him square in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" said Harry calmly, in mock confusion, "What was that for?"

"What was that FOR? How bout for GRABBING MY TONGUE YOU PRAT!" she hollered.

"You're not aloud to be mad at me for that, Gin." Harry explained calmly, "Did I, or did I not warn you last time, that I would do that? Hmm?" he asked.

Ron and Charlie were now amazed, not only had Harry stood up to their sister when she was in one of her rages, but she actually appeared to be calming down herself!

"And did you, or did you not say, and I quote 'I'd like to see you try' end quote?" he asked.

Not answering audibly, she just mumbled something.

"Pardon Gin? I didn't quite hear you." said Harry, putting a hand to his ear, his eyes all a twinkle.

Ron and Charlie jaws hit the ground. 'That boy's got balls!' they thought, in unison.

Mumbling a little clearer, Ginny repeated herself, "Yes I did."

"Excellent." said Harry, mimicking Dumbledore, "It would appear that you owe me an apology for hitting me then."

'Of solid Iron!' the two other boys thought again, in unison.

Still mumbling, but not wanting to have to repeat herself again, she answered, "Sorry Harry."

"Apology accepted." he answered with a smile, before turning around to see the completely flabbergasted expressions of both Charlie and Ron.

They seemed to collect themselves slightly when they saw his smile, but it still took a couple of seconds for them to use their powers of speech.

"Blimey Harry. I knew you were brave and all having faced you-know-who all those times, but...I mean...wow." muttered Charlie, still unable to audibly describe the miraculous event he had just witnessed.

"That was quick. I don't think Charlie could have reacted so quickly, not that he would ever dare, even if she had challenged him to." said Ron.

Ginny was still mumbling her complaints, but having no grounds for retaliation, she just stood back and watched the now waking griffons.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, Hermione was smiling rather brilliantly. This confrontation had raised many questions in her mind, and she thought she might be seeing something that she never thought she would. But she'd have to do some more observing before she could be certain about her findings.

"Well Harry, if those reflexes are any indication of your prowess as a seeker, I think I'm really gonna enjoy the game Saturday." said Charlie, giving Harry a pat on the back, before moving away quickly, not wanting to give his sister the idea that Charlie was supporting Harry's actions. This summer wasn't that far behind him for Charlie to have forgotten what his sister was like when she completely blew up, and he didn't want to see that again for a very, very long time.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Spectors and Spooks! Centaurs and..." 

"Hooper!" said McGonagall, at the newly elected, third year Gryffindor annoucer.

"Sorry professor. Welcome to a new season of Hogwarts Qudditch!"

The crowd erupted in a cacophony of cheers.

"Today's match is Slytherin verses Gryffindor!" this was followed by more loud cheers.

"Let me introduce you to the players! For Slytherin, it's Bletchley, Pucey, Prichard, Phillips, Crab, Goyle and captain Malfoy." scattered cheering erupted, though mostly only from one quarter of the assembled students. "And I have been assured that the new Nimbus 2003s that every member of the team is now riding, thanks to another generous donation by Mr. Malfoy, have nothing to do with his son's recent appointment to captain."

"Hooper!"

"Just sharing the facts, Professor. Now for the Gryffindor Team. We have Weasley, Bell, Granger, Kirke, Longbottom, at seeker the one, the only, Harry Potter! And captain, Ronald Weasley!" The resulting cheers were deafening. Most of the cheers were for Harry, but the whole team appreciated it. Ron, who in past times would feel slightly over shadowed by the fact that Harry got more of an important introduction them him, merely shrugged it off, and patted his friend on the back. It was obvious Harry didn't like the added attention, and Ron found it rather humorous to watch.

Madam Hooch called for the captains to shake, and so they both made their way to the center of the pitch. Not words were spoken. The looked each other in the eyes, and only looks of pure hatred and, loathing could be seen in either. They their hands met and after a second or two of trying to crush the other person's, they both turned and made their way back to their starting point.

"And Madam Hooch has released the quaffle. The game is on!" he announced as a cheer quickly erupted from the stands.

"Caught by Bell, and passed to Granger. Oooo, that's gotta hurt, Granger got a bludger in the arm, forcing her to drop the quaffle and it was recovered by Pucey, who hucked it to Phillips. She shoots...and a GREAT SAVE by the keeper Weasley. Ron was all over that one. If the snakes think that crappy shots like that..."

"Hooper!"

"Sorry professor. Weasley to Weasley, Oh, that's gonna get confusing real fast. Weasley to Granger, who drops it to a waiting Bell. Wow, what excellent flying by the Gryffindor Chasers as they weave in and out, passing quickly. Longbottom and Kirke are doing a good job of flying with them and keeping the bludgers off them. Ouch! Pucey gets one of them in the leg from Longbottom, great shot by the Gryffindor beater there..."

Harry was currently circling the pitch, looking for a glimpse of the coveted golden ball. Breaking from normal tradition, he noticed that Malfoy wasn't following him around the pitch, but was searching for the snitch on his own. This was new to Harry, he'd never played in a game where he wasn't being marked constantly. He decided to make the most of it, and narrowed his search.

He realized that the major problem with Malfoy's new found independence, was that if the snitch appeared at the other end of the pitch, where Draco was currently flying, there was no way Harry would be able to make it all the way over there before Malfoy caught it. Seeking really was 50 skill and 50 chance. Chance that the snitch would appear closer to you then the other seeker.

'Ah well,' he thought, 'not much I can do about it now.' Harry continued his search.

"That's another goal for Gryffindor. It's 40 to 0 for the lions, the snakes still unable to make it past the keeping skills of Big Red!"

The Slytherins, however, didn't like being backed into a corner, so as any other snake does in that situation, they struck.

Both green beaters sent a bludger at Ron from different directions. He noticed one, and dodged, but didn't see the other as he reached out to save the quaffle. The metal ball slammed into his torso just under his outstretched arm resulting in a loud crack that was probably heard all the way up to the castle.

"That sounded like it hurt. I could hear the bones cracking from here. But despite the questionable nature of the play, Slytherins are awarded their first goal of the day. That's 40 – 10, and Captain Ron Weasley has called a time out to regroup, and maybe down a pain relief potion or ten."

Down at the bench, it was obvious that Ron was hurting. The reserves were all there, suited up and ready, but right now, he needed a reserve for the only position he hadn't picked one for.

"Ron, mate," started Harry, "You can't go on. One of those ribs could easily puncture a lung. You gotta pull yourself." Harry pleaded.

"I know. But I don't have a reserve Keeper."

At this point, Neville stepped up. "Ron, I played keeper quite a bit this summer while I was fooling around at my family reunion. I wasn't too bad, and it's better then you killing yourself."

Ron looked worried, but since there was no possible way for him to continue, he conceded, "Ok. Neville, Keeper. Sloper, get up, you're going in at Beater. Chasers, I want more defense on your part now too. Athena, drop back midway through a run. Ginny and Katie, you two are our offense, Athena will help move the quaffle past the halfway point, but hang back to break up any advances. Beaters, split up. One of you, Kirke, stay with the advancing chasers, and Sloper, I want you to hang back at all times and keep an eye out for Athena and Neville. Harry, this leaves you open to attacks, but we have to keep the points down. If I see that it isn't working, we'll use another time out and try a different strategy. Alright, let do it!"

They took to the air again, as Madam Hooch's whistle blew. They announced their substitution, and the game was back on.

"This should be much easier now." drawled the Malfoy heir, "With your great weasel king is out of the game, we'll be ahead of you in no time, and then, after I catch the snitch, we'll have such a lead over you that..."

But Harry had decided to fly away from the prat. There was no point in putting up with his taunts today, he had a game to win.

Malfoy fumed, and literally dove at Harry. "NO ONE TURNS THEIR BACK ON A MALFOY!" he screamed.

Harry didn't quite know what Draco was trying to do, but he thought it best not to let the blond haired snake connect with him at mid air. He took off, only to have Draco continue to chase him. Looking over his shoulder, to see if he was still being chased, Harry noticed the slight shimmer at the tip of Malfoy's broom. 'An illusion?'

Wordlessly and wandlessly he cast a 'finite incantatem' on Malfoy's broom to revealing a rather jagged looking blade.

'Well, my dear Malfoy, if THAT'S the way you want to play, try and catch me!' with that last thought, Harry took off, weaving in and out of the bleacher supports, and doing his best to stay away form the other players. He was aware of Hooper's commentating, but couldn't make out the words are the wind whipped by his ears at a deafening speed.

Malfoy, who was riding a new Nimbus 2003, was right on his tail, but Harry wouldn't let him get close enough to jab him, taking sharp turns and sudden drops. Then, Harry dove. He accelerated faster then he had ever been on his poor Firebolt, he must have been pouring some of his own magic into it somehow to increase its speed. Draco was getting steadily closer, but then again, so was the ground. At the last, possible second, Harry pulled up with all his might, actually standing on his broom and pulling hard on the front end with both hands, resulting in his just skimming the ground with the back twig.

Draco wasn't as fortunate. He had been so focused on Harry, on how 'THIS was going to be the time. The blade was poisoned, and there was NO way he'd get away this time!' that he had lost track of where the ground actually was, and ended up barreling into it, broom first.

Madame Hooch's whistle blew, and the game was paused. A small group of Slytherins on the sideline collected Malfoy and his broom pieces, and Harry thought he saw one of them slip the blade tip of the broom into his robes. He was pissed, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He'd have to talk to the Headmaster about it afterwards.

Soon the game resumed with Slytherin's reserve in as seeker, and Ron's idea finally took solid form and it was working brilliantly. Athena would lead the strike to the half point, just to pass it off, confusing the opposing chasers, and scored rather easily.

"Another great goal by the beautiful and talented Ginny Weasley."

"Hooper!"

"What? Just some honest commentating Professor, nothing to get jealous over. I'd announce how beautiful you were too if you were playing, but since your not..."

"Hooper!"

"Oh, right, the game. Pucey to Prichard, and Goal! For Pritchard. Longbottom's not doing so bad considering it's not his position, but Potter better end this shortly, or it might become closer then it has to be. Oh, right professor, I mean 'one of the seekers' my apologies, though I'll interested to see how it ends. Do you think Professor Trelawny would give me bonus marks if I'm right?"

"Hooper!"

"Oh right, sorry, I'd have to predict his gruesome death for that, you're right of course!"

"Hooper!"

"Oh...oh, right, the game. And Granger to Bell, to Weasley, back to bell, off Goyle's head and into the hoop! Nice job by Weasley! And that makes it 90 – 60 for Gryffindor."

Not impressed one bit at being used like that, Goyle wound up and sent a bludger screaming at the back of Ginny's head once play had been suspended as they retrieved the ball.

Harry, who was circling above, was watching it happen, and saw that no one else noticed, least of all Ginny.

'GINNY! DIVE FAST AND HARD RIGHT NOW!' Harry projected at her.

Without thinking, Ginny did as she was told, and despite her quick reaction, the bludger still managed to nick her back, though it would have been her head had she not moved. She wobbled a bit in the air, but was able to regain control rather easily.

Hooch's whistle blew at the blatant foul.

"And a good call by Madam Hooch. What kind of coward sends a bludger at someone's back, I mean honestly. Stupid oaf, pick on someone your own size!" started Geoffrey Hooper, ignoring professor McGonagall's attempts at calming him.

After Ginny's successful penalty shot, the game resumed, and Harry's heartbeat slowly started returning to normal as he realized she was ok.

_Thanks Harry, that's another one I owe you._ She thought, as she smiled at him from about 20 feet bellow.

'I'm just glad you're ok. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you.' he admitted honestly.

Ginny just blushed in response, which Harry could actually see from 20 feet away, then he realized what he had said and blushed too, 'You know what I mean. You're my best friend, and...well...I'd really miss you...you know what I mean.' he stammered, not even able to think straight due to his embarrassment.

_Harry! Above you!_ Ginny thought excitedly. 

Harry looked up to see the little golden ball just floating a foot above his head. Reaching up quickly, with no real effort at all, Harry grabbed the snitch, ending the game.

Hooch's whistle blew.

"YES! Harry Potter has the snitch. And boy does he make it look easy. Final score of today's game, 250 – 60 for Gryffindor!"

The students of Gryffindor house quickly flooded the field to celebrate with their team, but by the time they got there, Ginny, Harry, Ron and Athena had already slipped out unnoticed, to bring Ron to the hospital wing.

On their way there, Hermione caught up with them, and gave them each a hug of congratulations. Not squeezing too hard when she got to Ron, though, remembering that he had received a bludger in the chest not to long ago.

"What did you do now Mr. Potter?" asked Madam Pomfrey upon seeing the group enter.

"Actually, Madam Pomfrey, it isn't me this time. During the game Ron took a bludger to the ribs, and Ginny's spine got grazed by one too." Harry explained.

"I said I was fine Harry!" complained Ginny.

"The back is a tricky thing Miss Weasley, and Mr. Potter was right in insisting you get it looked at." she said, as she ushered the students into the examination area.

"But I'm fine!" Ginny complained again casting an annoyed glance art Harry.

"Let me be the judge of that!" retorted Madam Pomfrey.

After a brief examination, the Healer turned to her patient, "Miss Weasley, you will take this potion before you go to bed, and this one when you wake up in the morning before coming to see me for another check up, just to be sure. I will let you go to your own room tonight, but if you don't show up tomorrow morning, I will not be so lenient in the future. It only appears to have bruised you, but with spinal injuries, there can be many complications."

It smelled absolutely horrible. Ginny chose not to argue, but mumbled a complaint under her breath and shot Harry a murderous look who only smiled innocently at her in reply. She tried to yell at him mentally, but he had his shields up, and she could tell nothing was getting through.

"Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, has managed to completely shatter three ribs, and there might be some internal bruising as well. Here is a hospital gown, you will go change and get into bed immediately. I will have to remove the shattered bone, and then you'll have to regrow them. You will not be having a very comfortable sleep tonight." the matron promised.

Ron sighed, but chose not to argue. He knew he wouldn't win, so he decided to take it like a man.

"So much for our plan." muttered Athena to Harry, to which he nodded.

"Maybe tomorrow night, she can make him feel better about missing the party." he whispered back, slyly.

Harry looked over to see Hermione paying close attention to Madam Pomfrey's treatment of Ron. Harry knew it wasn't just because of her role as head of healing either.

After saying goodbye to their keeper and captain, the three quidditch players returned to the common room, leaving Hermione behind to help Madame Pomfrey. The healer had been surprised at Hermione's grasp of healing, and had asked her to stay behind and tell her a bit more of these Native Americans and their type of healing magic that Hermione had learned about last summer.

By the time they got back the party had been in full swing and upon the entrance of the star seeker and the chasers, the crowd erupted into cheers. Seamus and Dean had somehow managed to smuggle in some butterbeer, and even some firewhiskey, though they were guarding the latter rather jealously. After Harry made a quick announcement as to the current state of their captain, there were some boos at the severity of the injury, but loud cheers followed when they heard that he'd make a quick recovery.

* * *

"...and now our plans have been thwarted!" concluded Harry, after having explained the whole Ron and Hermione plan, and the keepers unfortunate accident. He was currently in the hidden room with Sally-Ann, lying on the couch with his head in her lap, having slipped out of the party early. 

"Thwarted?" she asked, "I can't believe you used the word 'thwarted' in everyday conversation." she mocked.

Harry sat up quickly. "Of course I used the word 'thwarted'. What other word does one use when their master plan is undone so easily by a factor they had never considered a threat! 'Foiled' perhaps? Does that one suit you better? Which word would YOU use?" he asked in mock indignation.

She thought for a second, then with a sly grin, "Well, personally, I don't make master plans," which earned her a snort of disbelief from Harry, "But if I were, say, who-know-who, I'd probably just say Pottered." she ended with a grin.

Harry just let out a chuckle. So few people knew Harry well enough to joke with him comfortable on that subject, and if he had heard that from anyone else, save the mansion group and a very few others, he probably would have reacted rather badly to it, but coming from Miss Perks here, it was priceless.

"Ya, I could just see it now, 'Drat! Pottered again!' " snorted Harry after his initial laughter had died down.

Their last few meetings, before the whole Susan incident, had been mostly just Harry telling her about a few of his adventures during his time at Hogwarts. She was now one of the few who truly knew how much of a thorn in the side, of the Dark Lord, Harry really was.

During his laughter, he had laid his head back down onto her lap, and she was currently running her fingers through his hair. This was by far, one of the most calming things that Harry had ever experienced and he was actually purring in contentment. Which made Sally-Ann giggle.

"What?" asked a confused Harry, opening his eyes, and looking up at the face of the girl who lap he was using as a pillow.

"I just find it amusing how your animagus form tends to slip out every now and then when it's least expected. And now that I know what it is, I can totally see all your little cat like quirks.

Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Such as?"

"You mean besides purring when you're happy?" she started with a grin. "Ok, the way you walk, it's cat like and fluid. You duel that way too. I noticed it before, but could never really place it. Also the way you walk around the school when your' trying not to be noticed. You tend to try and slink from shadow to shadow. I've also seen, only once mind you, your eyes almost glowing when you were standing in a dark corner. I couldn't see you, just your eyes, your beautiful, green eyes." she said, as she traced her fingers around his eye sockets gently eliciting another purr from Harry as he closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling. She just smiled.

"Though there are some traits in you that are clearly not that of a cat."

With his eyes still closed, enjoy the attention his face was getting from her delicate fingers, he responded, "and what traits are those?"

"Well, for one, I've never known a cat to be so accepting of everyone around them. There's that whole fierce loyalty issue you got goin' on. Very un-Slytherin might I add. You tend to stick up for everyone, where are a cat would only pick favorites." She said, grinning, as she continued to trace her figure all over the different lines on his face. "Not that I'm complaining mind you, or I might be leading a whole different, and much worse, life here at the moment. You tend to have a majestic air about you, not just spoiled and pampered like a cat. It's like it belongs there. You just seem to be a whole lot of different animals in one there Harry. You sure you don't have more then one animagus form?" she asked jokingly.

Harry, however, didn't catch the joking quality of her voice right away, and stiffened up for a second before realizing she wasn't being serious. But she noticed, "Harry? What is it? What's wrong?"

"What? Oh...nothing. For a second there, I thought I had forgotten to finish one of the essays I had due in Transfigurations, but then I remembered that I had finished it a couple of days ago, so nothing to worry about." he lied smoothly, but she wasn't buying it.

"Harry. You told me last week that you didn't have to do anymore essays since you were writing your NEWTs after Christmas, and all the Professors were making you do was review and TA responsibilities." She said, a little hurt, before forcing his head off her lap and getting up, rather upset. "Why did you lie to me?" she asked, trying to keep her anger in check.

Harry, who was now sitting up, was looking absolutely deflated. He _had_ lied, and that was because he wanted to keep secrets from her. He _needed_ to. But now that she was calling him on it, he realized just how easy it had been to tell her a fabrication, and how he didn't feel at all guilty for it either. 'Is that right? If I were with someone who I really cared about, should it be so easy to keep things from her and lie about it? I'd never do anything like that to Ginny, Hermione or her sisters. I trust them with my life, and every secret I may have, sure I might not tell them everything, but I don't lie.' he thought, reflectively.

He had been trying to figure out what to do with this relationship, and now he had just given himself more to think about.

"Harry? What have you got to say for yourself?" she asked, still rather cheesed.

Harry sighed. Did he trust her? Ya, ya he did. But how much? He decided to come clean this once.

"I was trying to keep this a secret from everyone, and that's why I lied, but I want to show you, as long as you promise to keep everything I show you to yourself and tell no one." he started. She was a little confused, but nodded in agreement, be sitting down next to him and waiting for his explanation.

"You see, I am a multianimagus. Not cat and something else, though, but..." but instead of finishing his sentence, he changed into his kneazle form.

To say Sally-Ann was surprised was an understatement. 'Harry's a _MAGICAL_ animagus? Was that even possible?' she thought.

"But you said multianimagus, what is your other form?" she asked, still in shock, but hiding it well.

In response, he transformed into his Phoenix and disappeared in a puff of flame and smoke.

"A DUAL MAGICAL ANIMAGUS?" she shouted in disbelief. Harry was eternally grateful that he had cast the silencing and privacy charms on the door now when he had entered.

After changing back, "Yes. They are both magical animals. One of the kneazle's innate abilities to disguise himself as a cat of the same colour, as a result, so can I. And before you ask, yes, a few of the other magical abilities can also be used when I'm in my human form. I can use the kneazle's ability to see trustworthiness, and can flame travel like a phoenix, and I can understand what kneazles and phoenixes say with I'm in my human form, though i can only talk back to kneazles in their language, since a human voice box could never imitate the tones of a phoenix. It's ok though, since they can understand English just fine." he explained.

"Wow." Then her eyes, seemed to get a little softer, and Harry could see a bit of hurt in them too.

She was torn. As much as she like Harry, she knew that he was hiding things from her. He was probably doing it for a good reason, but she couldn't help but wonder what other secrets her green eyed companion had. She wanted to ask him what they were, but at the same time, she didn't want to push him away by trying to get him to talk about something that he obviously didn't want to discuss right now. This could wait. After all, he had just put a lot of trust in her by telling her about his two animagus forms. The rest would come to, hopefully.

She pulled him into a quick hug, then laid his head back down onto her lap and continued to play with his hair as if nothing had happened. But instead of the beautiful daydreams of a future life with the boy-who-lived that she had been having before, she was now wondering who this boy in front of her really was.

* * *

Later that night, after the party had wound down, and most of the people had slipped off to bed, Harry finally returned to the common room. 

He noticed Ginny in the process of cleaning up some of the empty butterbeer bottles to help out the house elves. 'Hermione would be proud.' he thought to her, smiling.

She looked up, _If she were back from the hospital wing yet._ She responded, smiling slightly too, before taking on a more serious face, _You know Harry, it's a good thing that the gift of telepathy is even rarer then that of Parsletongue, because the way Sally-Ann broadcasted her thoughts once you told her you were a magical animagus were so loud, that if there are any other telepaths in the school, they all heard her mental scream too. I really hope that I'm the only one at Hogwarts, or you're secret wont be staying that way for long._

'Shit!' Harry thought, before throwing himself down onto the couch dejectedly.

_There's nothing you can do about it now, but might I suggest teaching her Occlumency, like you've been doing with the six of us on weekends, if you plan on telling her anything else_. She suggested. _Also, you might want to teach all of us how to block telepaths too. As much as it would take some of my fun away, it might be a good idea to for the others to learn how._ She admitted.

'Ya, that might be a good idea.' he thought, still kicking himself for not being more careful with his secrets.

Knowing what he was thinking, she continued, _There's no point in worrying about it anymore Harry. You should get to the mansion. I have to patrol tonight, so I'll be a little later then usual._

'You're right, Gin.' he thought, "Good night." he said out loud, more for the benefit of the others still in the common room then for Ginny.

He made his way upstairs, and secured his bed hangings before flashing over to Godric's office, and turning in for the night.

* * *

**AN: **A big thank you to all my reviewers. If you have any big questions that you really want answers to, please e-mail me with them, and I'll reply as quickly as I can. Thanks again. 

Farfumsane.


	33. Drastic Measures

**Disclaimer: **I got nothin'. I get nothin'. Cause nothin's really mine.

**AN: Warning – **Contains fluff. Big R/Hr fluff.

**Chapter 32: Drastic measures**

During their sparing session the next day, Harry remembered something Ginny mentioned in passing the night before,

"Did you say that Hermione hadn't returned by the time I got back last night?" he asked Ginny as he parried one of her thrusts.

"Ya. I was surprised by that too. But not as surprised as when I snuck into the hospital wing last night during my rounds and saw her asleep next to Ron's bed holding his hand." she said with a grin.

"WHAT?" he said. This distraction was all Ginny needed to slip past his defenses and score a hit against his chest.

"You shouldn't let your guard down." she said smugly.

"That's the first time in weeks that you've even come close to hitting me, so don't give me that. And don't change the subject. They were holding hands?" he asked again, in disbelief.

Harry had indeed been improving. So much so, that about a week before, he had taken it up a notch and started using a second sword. He was now wielding both the sword of Gryffindor, and the Potter long sword simultaneously. They were both identical in weight and length, but he seemed to be able to use both at once without any hindrance. It was almost as if they were made to be used together.

"True, but I still think that those swords are helping you." she replied in frustration. Ginny had been doing this for a few months longer then Harry with Ron, but she had improved the most while working with Harry. She doubted even Ron, who seemed to be a natural with a blade, could beat either of them now. She was planning on testing that theory next weekend with a friendly tournament.

"Quit changing the subject. Ron and Hermione: spill!" he said pointedly.

"I already told you everything. She was there, sitting next to his bed, they were both asleep and holding hands. I don't know if it started before he fell asleep, or even if it was anything more then just support for a friend who was injured. As I recall, she has held your hand before too when you were hurt." she answered.

"True, but she never fell asleep doing it. Anyways, I guess it's just wishful thinking that they got together without our help." he admitted.

"Why? Are you backing out of our plan?" she inquired playfully.

"Never!" he answered in mock indignation.

"Good, cause it happens tomorrow afternoon, when we get out of here." she said, while pointing her dirk at him.

The plan was simple. On the way back from lunch, the mansion group would walk back to the common room together, on their way, would gang up on the two love birds and lock them in one of the broom closets for several hours after casting a silencing and locking charm on it.

"I know the plan. I came up with it, remember?" pointed out Harry.

"Yes I remember, but you sounded like you were getting cold feet." she mocked.

"Not gonna happen. I've waited too long to see the two of them get together back out now." Then grinning mischievously he added, "But if you don't stop buggin' me about it, I could arrange to have you magically bound and silenced and placed in the same closet you know. Wouldn't that be fun: watching your brother snog your best friend senseless?"

Ginny's face twisted into one of disgust at the thought, "I dare y...I mean...No, no it wouldn't." she said, quickly changing her mind when she remembered what happened last time she challenged Harry to a dare. She knew that she was never gonna live it down. It was only the day after it happened, and she had already received a letter from the twins about it, and they told her that it was Bill who told them, which meant that all of her brothers knew what had happened, except maybe Percy, and she wasn't looking forward to Christmas were she was sure it would be brought up at least once.

"Good job. You're learning." he said with a grin and a wink, before drawing his swords again. "Another?"

He needn't had asked, however, as Ginny had already started coming at him with her rapier in retaliation to his last comment.

* * *

Lunch the next day did not go as planned, however, as midway through lunch, Hermione got up and excused herself, saying that she had to get to the library before DA that night to do some research. 

'Drat! Foiled again!' thought Harry, smiling. That saying always reminded him of the cartoons he used to hear from the cupboard back on Privet drive on Saturday mornings. Dudley used to watch them every Saturday, and Harry was never allowed out until the afternoon when Dudley had finished, but he could hear them all just fine, and had even imagined what each character looked like.

_We'll just have to try and get them on their way back from DA tonight, or tomorrow night after dinner._ Ginny suggested.

'And if that doesn't work, we'll have to resort to drastic measures.' he responded with a grin.

After lunch, they all left, most went for the common room, but Harry excused himself. He still needed to have a talk with Dumbledore about what happened out on the pitch the day before, and he wanted to do that before heading out to Hagrid's cabin for their tutoring session.

* * *

"Are you sure it was a knife Harry?" asked the headmaster, after Harry's recounting of what had happened during the game. 

"I'm positive sir. If I hadn't caught a slight shimmer in the illusion charm he had cast to hide it, he probably would have skewered before I even knew what had hit me."

Professor Dumbledore sat back in his chair, and actually looked as old as he was. "This is not good Harry. If he was truly going to do that, he must have known that he would have been, in the very least, expelled for his actions. This means that he was fully intent on leaving after he completed his goal."

"Or mission." added Harry.

The Headmaster only nodded, not wanting to speak the possibility of Draco allegiances out loud, for fear that if he did, they might be true. He always wanted to give each of his students the benefit of a doubt, but sometimes their allegiances were clear, and it pained the aged headmaster to the core of his being each time he saw that he had lost another soul to the dark.

"Mr. Malfoy's failure also means that we should be more wary of future attempts, and not necessarily covert ones either. If he was willing to try that in front of a quidditch pitch full of students and staff, then he would have no problems casting things at you in a hallway here at school, or even in a classroom. You must be cautious."

"I know he's up to something, I've known that for a while now, but what exactly, I'm not sure." Harry admitted.

* * *

"I have the list of names for you. These are all the students in the DA, from every house, with their rank, if applicable. The younger ones are to be sorted tonight. So I'll update it for you, and have a complete copy to you by the end of the week." 

"Just leave it in the regular place," drawled the Malfoy heir, "I have no desire to lay my eyes upon you unless it's absolutely necessary."

The spy nodded slightly.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get out of here!" Draco said forcefully.

After a short bow, the spy ran out of the room.

'Coward! I don't know what the Dark Lord sees in him. Of course, I don't know what he saw in Wormtail either, but he obviously served a purpose.' Draco knew exactly why that spy had been chosen. He was chosen because he was one of the most unlikely people to betray Potter. He was also a prefect, making it very easy to slip out at night to report.

Thinking of reporting, Draco's mind went back to his meeting with the Dark Lord the night before, after the match and he cringed. The Dark Lord obviously has other spies at Hogwarts, though it might have just been Snape. His Lord had placed Draco under the cruciatus curse several times last night after finding out that Draco had tried to kill Potter with that poisoned knife. A knife that was still missing, much to Draco's dismay.

The Dark Lord had told him several times this summer that the Potter brat was to die at his Lord's hands and should not be touched, but Draco hadn't taken the warnings to heart until last night. Draco decided that his life was more important to him then revenge against Potter, so he promised himself not to try anything else against St. Potter unless it was Potter himself that started it. At least then he might be able to plead self-defense with his Lord, though he doubted even that would save him from a severe punishment.

He still wasn't sure what The Dark Lord wanted with the list of DA members. He can't be worried about them after all. But Draco had learned the hard way not to question Lord Voldemort, unless you really enjoyed the cruciatus that is.

Tying the parchment to the bird's leg, he sent it off. Another mission successfully completed.

* * *

"Good job Hagrid!" praised Harry, "I knew you could do it." 

Hagrid was just looking down with glee at the rabbit in front of him which had, just moments before, been a kitten.

"I di't!" exclaimed the half-giant with glee. "Yer a great teach'r 'Arry. I nev'r woulda got'it without yeh! Thanks!"

"No problem Hagrid." responded the Harry, "Like I said, you just have to watch out for your pronunciation. I know it's not the easiest for you, but once you do that, it's simple. I should know. If it wasn't for Hermione, both Ron and I would probably still be in our first year charms class trying to levitate a feather!"

Hagrid seemed to feel a bit better about his problem when Harry told him this. In truth, Hagrid's casting was suburb in every other aspect. "Just remember to pay close attention to the way professors Flitwick and McGonagall pronounce the words, and do your best to imitate them. If you're not sure if you got it right, ask you're partner. I'm sure Ginny wouldn't mind helping you if you ask." Harry said.

"She alre'dy does. I feel kinda ba' for 'er actually." Hagrid stated.

"I'm sure she doesn't mind at all." Harry reasoned.

"Not 'bout that. A mean 'bout her class's. She ne'er ev'n talks to anyone else in ther' unless it's a class wif Hufflepuff or if'n Luna's ther'. Las' year at leas' she 'ad Colin in Care of Magical Creatures, but it looks like they 'ad a fallin out or som'thin cause they don' ev'n say hi now." Hagrid explained.

"Really? I never knew." said a thoughtful Harry.

"Shou'dn't be a a big s'rprise to yeh, after all, she's always with you lot between classes, or with Justin. Yer 'er friends, not 'er class classmates. Anyways, Sure'n she'll 'elp me if'n I need it. Yeh best be runin' along now 'Arry."

"Ya," said a Harry, now deep in thought, "It is getting pretty late, I should probably be gettin back to the castle. Good night Hagrid."

"G'night 'Arry." he said, before closing the door.

Harry never really knew that about Ginny. He had gotten to know her a lot better since school started, especially since they started spending every night in the mansion, but apparently, there were still a few things he had to learn about his little red-headed friend.

He knew better then to let this information affect the way he treated her though. After her families financial situation, and having six older brothers, she was not one who looked kindly on pity. He'd just file this in the back of his mind, and not think about it much. He would, however, be inviting her to join them more often. He wanted to let her know that he appreciated her friendship as did the rest of the mansion group, and that she was as much a part of the team as anybody

* * *

"Ok. So I've read everything you wrote about this thing, is there anything else you can think to tell me before I start using it?" asked Harry of the portrait in front of him in the Potter dining hall, as he eyed the staff in his hand. 

"Let me see," started the aged portrait, "It has protection runes carved all over it. They protect the wielder from the elements, some magics, and hostile realms. They also serve to allow you to use magic unhindered in any of the realms you may chose to visit in the future, as you are a realmwalker like I was. I know you haven't started doing that yet, but when you do, you'll be REALLY happy to have this staff with you. The runes also amplify the magic you cast through it while here on this realm. When I used it for a reducto spell, for example, it was two times more powerful then when I did it with a normal wand or wandlessly."

"So you were a sorcerer too?" asked Harry.

"Most of us were back then actually, though not all of us were naturals. Everyone has the ability to cast some spells, at least minor ones, without words, or even without a wand. Kinda like any of the subjects. Anyone can learn the basics, and even get quite advanced with enough practice, but they'll never be able to do it with the ease of a True Sorcerer. Much like Potions can be learned by anyone, but to be a real potions master, you need to have the gift, the natural feel for that kind of magic." Godric explained. "It wasn't until later in my tenure that Rowena discovered that magical conduits could help those without the gift cast spells with more ease."

"Are you saying that Rowena Ravenclaw invented wand use?" asked a dumbfounded Harry.

"No, no, no, I'm saying that it was her who brought it to my attention. Wands, and other magical foci, had been used for ages in many of the tribes in Africa, and other, more ritualistic types of magic. It was on one of her many journeys to distant places that she came across a group of wizards who used wands on a regular basis for all types of spells. After more study, she presented her findings to me, and we have been using wands at Hogwarts ever since. It was amazing the number of magical kids who couldn't cast worth a darn wandlessly, but give 'em a proper focus and they were amazing."

Harry nodded, thinking of Neville. The past few years he'd had a heck of a time with his father's wand, but as soon as he got his own, he'd improved ten fold. It was quite incredible. Focusing again on the task at hand, Harry continued, "Back to the staff. Anything else you can think of?"

The founder looked pensive, "For the life of me I really can't remember anything else, but I KNOW there is more too it. It can shrink and be used as a wand, though not as powerful, but you already knew that. The runes...and I'm forgetting something. Darn! Stupid portrait memory. Sorry Harry. You'll just have to discover it all on your own.

"That's ok. You've been a big help. There wasn't that much on the runes in the book of yours, and it does explain some other magical traits and attributes that I just don't have the time right now to try. Right now, all I want to do is get used to casting spells with it, so that I can use it in a fight if necessary, and not be able to control it." Harry admitted.

"That's a good idea. Why don't you go to the Room of Requirement and do some target practice there then?" inquired the portrait.

"I could, but Ginny's in there right now taking a swim. I don't want to bother her. She likes to relax after I kick her butt with the swords." said a grinning Harry.

"She comes with you every night, right?" asked the sly portrait.

"Yes...why do you ask?" asked Harry, not liking what Godric was implying.

"No reason. Just curious." admitted the painting, with a knowing grin.

"It's not like that. She has a boyfriend, I'll have you know, and I'm currently kinda seeing someone too." Harry said, hoping to dissuade Godric from this line of thinking.

"Kinda seeing?" he asked, trying to pry information from his young heir. "How does one go about 'kinda seeing' someone?"

"Not that it's any of your business," started Harry, "but I just broke up with my last girlfriend, and I don't want to rush into another one yet just to have it fall apart."

"Why do you think it would fall apart?"

"Why do you care!" countered a slightly irritated Harry.

"Calm down Harry. It's my business to care. I have to insure my line continues, don't I?" teased a smiling Godric.

Harry sighed. "Fine. It'll fall apart cause I just don't trust her enough to tell her anything about me. I just don't want her to be a part of this."

"But this is who you are Harry."

"I know that, but I can't let this information get out there. If Voldemort ever found out about even half of the stuff I can do now, it could really reduce my chances of beating him!"

"But you wouldn't be telling him, you'd be telling the girl you care for."

"I...I just don't want to take that chance." admitted a depressed Harry, as he sat down on his chair.

"Then I'd say that greatly reduces the number of girls that you can date." said a once again grinning Godric.

Harry just scowled at him. "Maybe I don't _want_ to date anyone. Maybe I'm doing this just to spite you so that I can end your wretched bloodline!" said Harry as a mock threat.

"Oh, don't worry Harry. It wouldn't end. I have a bunch of other children out there too. You're just the most direct to me." the founder said with a wink.

Harry just stayed seated and mumbled something about stupid meddling portraits.

"I know what's got you so down," started Godric looking at the large window, "I don't think a student should be forced to look at his school on days he's not even there. You should change the window to something more cheery. Maybe to that 'Disney world' John was telling me about when he was a resident here, he said it was a fabulous place, or maybe another famous sight. Something to get your mind off things."

Harry sighed, and decided to go with the topic change that Godric had offered, instead of discussing his love life.

Choosing to change it to a view of the Burrow, the place he always felt the most at home outside of Hogwarts, he willed the painting to change.

As the painting faded to gray, he thought he saw an image there, as he had when reading that one night, but as quick as it had come, it was gone again, and a peaceful Burrow now sat there in it's stead.

"Godric." started a confused Harry, "I thought I saw I man on the other side of the widow as it was changing scenes."

"It's quite possible, Harry." the portrait admitted, "For the brief second it takes to go from one scene to the next, I believe it shows you the Magical realm just outside the mansion. It is possible that the realm has a traveler at the moment. There aren't many realmwalkers around from our world, at least there weren't in my time, but there are others from other worlds too. They're probably just exploring. I used to do that myself. I went into the realm and started looking for deserted places and stuff like that. Maybe they were just curious as to who lived in this castle like mansion."

"Oh. Ok. I just thought he looked familiar. Never mind, I should probably get to practicing." said Harry before he used his wand to conjure up some targets. He then took the staff in hand, and started casting.

"By the way. The new scene you just picked...that's Ginny's place, isn't it?" asked the grinning portrait.

Harry grumbled as he got up and left the room, though the slamming door was drowned out by the founder's boisterous laughing.

* * *

He had been seen this time, he was sure of it. 'There was still hope! He seemed to be moving awfully fast though, almost like watching a muggle movie on fast forward. Kind of strange.' he thought. 

He had to try and find a way to get a message to him. 'But how?'

* * *

A week later, and five more failed attempts at locking his friends in a broom closet, Harry found himself, once again, in the secret room he shared with Sally-Ann, though at this point, he wished he was anywhere else but there. 

"And when were you planning on telling me about all this? A week? Two? After we officially started dating? After we were married? After the fall of You-know-who? When exactly?" she asked Harry.

After another occlumency and telepathy blocking lesson, they had started discussing his animagus forms, and Harry had let slip that he had a third one too. Not Harry's finest hour, but now he was in the middle of damage control.

Harry looked away and whispered, "We all have our secrets Sally-Ann."

"I asked when, Harry. When were you going to tell me this?" she asked a little more firmly, but not forcefully.

"Probably not until after the fall of Voldemort, if then. Only a few people know, and I don't like the fact that I have all these abilities that make me so different." he explained.

"Abilities? You mean besides being a magical mulitanimagi?" she asked, with a little more frustration in her voice.

Harry just nodded.

"And are you going to tell me about all of them right now too?" she inquired, almost like a demand.

Looking up to meet her eyes, he answered, "No. I can't tell you anything more. No one can even find out about the things I've already told you and that's why we've been working on blocking your mind. I've already told you too much. And I've only done that because I care too much to lie about it to you."

"You mean, you care too much for me, for me to KNOW that you lied!" she responded quickly. She had already apologized for her mental broadcast of Harry's abilities, and that wasn't the issue anymore. She knew she had to learn to block her mind, and understood why, this was a different topic altogether.

A guilty look crossed Harry's face and he couldn't think of anything to say that would make this better.

"Harry." she said softly, but with determination in her eyes, "I can't date someone who has such an easy time lying to me. Keeping some things from me, ya, that I can understand, but lying to me so easily? And without remorse? Not to mention keeping something this big from me? Is anything you're keeping from me now bigger news then this?" she asked, hesitantly, actually fearing the answer.

Harry merely nodded.

"And you wont tell me either will you?" she asked, completely defeated.

Harry just shook his head in the negative as a response.

"Not even after I learn how to block my mind fully?" she prodded.

Harry shrugged slightly, but then shook his head again.

"Then Harry, I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you." she told him before explaining. "I know you have goals to meet and a destiny to fulfill. But if you can't tell me what that is, and let me walk that path with you as I walk my own, then we can't be together like that."

Harry nodded again before responding, "You're right. Please, keep using this room. It's yours. If you want the other Slytherins in the DA, or any of your other friends, to know about it that's ok by me too. It's the least I can do. Please don't tell anyone anything of what I confessed to you tonight, it could make a big difference in the fight, and we can't afford to lose whatever edge we have. I'm sorry."

But before she could answer, Harry had disappeared in a puff of flame and smoke.

After his exit, Sally-Ann Perks sunk down into the sofa, and cried.

* * *

The next couple of days crawled by, and the others noticed Harry's obvious funk. Ginny had tried to talk to him a few times, both mentally, and in the mansion, but he would only ever tell her that he had to think threw a few things, and that she shouldn't worry. 

"Harry, mate." started Ron while they were walking down the hall to class. "What's the matter? You haven't been yourself lately."

"It's nothin." Harry muttered, as he continued to walk down the hall.

"It's not nothin. You've been a grump, and it even affected your flying last practice. Now. As your captain, and friend, talk to me." This new and caring Ron was still as shocking to Harry as the forceful and courageous Neville. The only problem is that Ron didn't know about Sally-Ann, and now wasn't a good time to go into that subject in detail.

"Can I just say girl trouble, and leave it at that?" asked Harry hopefully.

Ron shrugged, "If you want Harry. But don't let it eat away at you. I'm here if you change your mind."

They kept walking until Harry heard the voice he had been trying to avoid thinking about, calling him.

"Harry!" cried a panting Sally-Ann as she ran down the stairs after them. "You are impossible to catch. Still avoiding all your adoring fans?" she asked with a grin.

Noticing her happy behaviour, he chanced a small smile of his own which didn't go unnoticed by Ron. Ron also knew that Harry's spell was still going, which meant that Harry had either let her see him, or she was one of those strong willed ones on whom the spell didn't work.

"I'll catch up with you later mate." Ron said as he left Harry behind.

Before Harry could protest, Ron was already around the corner, leaving him with the young woman he had hurt more then a week ago.

"Hi Sally-Ann, how're you doing?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Well, I've been better." she answered as her smile left her face. "I really miss talking to my friend Harry. He doesn't seem to want to be around me anymore. Have you seen him?"

"What?" asked the confused Gryffindor. "But I thought you didn't want me around." he finished in a small voice.

She smiled sadly, "I said I didn't want to date you, not that I didn't want to still be your friend. We were friends before, when you were dating Susan. Can't we still be?" she asked, hopeful, but a little unsure. "I don't have many, and you're the only real one I have outside of Slytherin. Not that I'm complaining, but when you're talking to another Slytherin, even a friend, there are certain pretenses you have to maintain. And I don't have to worry about that when I'm talking to you. It's a nice change. And you've been a good friend. I don't want to lose you just because we're not compatible in the dating department."

Harry smiled brightly. "Of course we can still be friends. I'm sorry for my reaction. I shouldn't have left like that."

"Good." she said brightly. "Besides, where else can I get free occlumency lessons? You have NO idea how useful that is in the snake pit." she admitted.

Feeling more at ease, Harry joked back, "Is that all I am to you? A free lesson? I'm hurt!"

"Of course not. You've got a great butt too." she said with a wink. Seeing his confused look, she clarified. "Just because I don't want to date you, doesn't mean I'm not going to flirt mercilessly with you." she added with a wink.

"I can handle that." he replied with a grin.

"Good. Then I expect to see you tomorrow at our regular time. Deal?"

"Of course. I'll see you then Sal. Thanks." he answered honestly.

"No problem Harry. And who knows. With time you might be able to trust me more, and we might be able to go on. But until that happens, if that ever happens, I don't want to lose my friend." she told him.

"Deal."

"Good. I'll see you later then." She called over her shoulder as she raced off to class.

"Bye." he called back, and he too went off to the class he and Ron had been heading to before.

Once in class, Athena noticed he was in a much better mood. "Good to see you're back with us Harry." she said with a warm smile.

"Thanks." he replied, smiling in return, "Good to be back."

Harry knew he had to learn to better control his emotions, but it seemed that with his empathic abilities came an increased inability to control his own feelings. Everything he felt was an extreme. He could never be just a little sad, he would get depressed. He couldn't be content, he'd become joyous. This was something he'd have to read about some more, and maybe even try to get some help with. Starting tonight, he vowed to work on it harder, maybe even try to tie it in with occlumency. Maybe he could block out the intensity of the emotion, while still letting the basic feeling through. He'd have to look into that. He would do everything he could to fix it since it wasn't fair that his friends should suffer for his moods. They had done enough of that in the previous years.

Chancing a glance over at Ron, Athena leaned in to Harry, "The plan still a go for later?"

"Ya. It's really too bad its come down to this, but I don't think we have a choice. Drastic times call for drastic measures." admitted Harry, a little worried. "I know they'll enjoy the outcome, but I just hope they don't hate us afterwards for how we had to do it."

"Or the others. We should have let them know to." Athena said.

"No, we talked about this. We're essentially attacking two senior prefects. If things DO go wrong, I don't want them getting in trouble for it too." he explained, again.

"I know, but I still feel guilty." admitted Athena

"It'll be ok. If anything, they'll just try to get back at us themselves. I mean honestly. What's the worse they could do?" asked Harry.

"Famous last words." she muttered, not quite loud enough for Harry to hear her.

* * *

Midway through supper, as per usual lately, Hermione excused herself to go to the library. 

Receiving a slight nod from Harry, Athena got up and followed.

"What's that all about?" asked Ron, who had noticed the little signal.

"We've been curious as to what she's been doing in the library, so Athena and I planned to take turns following her to see if we can catch a glimpse. You want in?" Harry asked, lying masterfully. His Slytherin side had really been shining through brightly this year, but it didn't bother him. He'd grown to accept that it is a part of him, and that accepting it only made him stronger, more complete.

"That's an invasion of privacy! I'm going to stop her." Ron said, getting up himself and following Athena out of the room.

'This is just way too easy.' he broadcasted to Ginny.

_What is? _She asked.

Harry smiled as he too got up and followed Ron out. 'Come to the third floor, second corridor on the right, the broom closet 10 yards up in one hour, and you'll see then. Oh, and tell the others, they look a little confused.' he sent back as he slipped out of the Great Hall.

* * *

Hermione was on her way to the library to finish off her work for the night so that she could meet up with Ron later. 

She smiled to herself. They had been dating now for about two weeks, and she couldn't be happier. She had been trying her hardest to block it out of her mind, since she didn't want anyone to know, especially that mental spy who'd been slipping into her thoughts since the summer. Her and Ron had both been doing mental exercises since then, and with Harry's help on the weekends it had become much easier.

It had been so sweet the way Ron had come up to her in the library that night. He pulled out a flower, and then just poured out his heart. He was very brave. It could have gone very badly, but he did it anyways, and that made Hermione love him all the more.

Yes, love.

They had been friends for so long, and they knew each other inside and out, and there was no doubt in either of their minds that they were indeed in love. She would always remember Ron's confession that night.

-FLASHBACK-

_Hermione saw Ron enter her section of the library with a very nervous look on his face. _

'_I wonder what he's doing here.' she thought. 'The quidditch section is at the other end of the library.' she mused to herself._

_He seemed to notice where she was, and hesitantly made his way over to her._

'_What's this all about?'_

_Then, from behind his back he produced a beautiful, ever changing rose. It faded from one colour into another, in a seemingly random pattern. It was beautiful._

"_Mione." he started, "I don't know how to say this, but I have to try."_

_She thought she might know what this was about, but her eyes were still transfixed on the beautiful flower that he held before her._

"_I know this might ruin our friendship, but I have to take that chance, cause if I don't, I don't think I could live with myself." he admitted, not looking up at her at all, but staring at the rose in his hand. Had he bothered looking up, he would have noticed the tears forming in her eyes._

_Taking a deep breath he started, "I've known you since first year, and I'll admit, I was a total prat to you at first. But ever since that Halloween night, you've been an important part of my life. We grown up together, and we've faced so many things side by side, with Harry too of course." he said, feeling the need to clarify, "and because of all that, we've grown closer. I've grown closer to you, then any friend I've ever had. I...I feel things for you that I've never..." he paused trying to find the right words before continuing. He was fumbling, and it wasn't going anywhere near as smooth as he had rehearsed it, be ever the Gryffindor, he pushed on,_

"_I...I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?" he admitted, handing the rose to her as a token of his sincerity, while looking up to make eye contact. _

_When their eyes met, all Hermione could do was let out a brief sob of utter joy, and throw herself at him and hugged him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around her instinctively and buried his face in her neck, and smiled a smile of pure and utter bliss._

_Feeling a lot less nervous, and a little more daring, he responded in a muffled voice through her hair, "Can, I take that as a yes?" _

_She chucked once through her crying, playfully smacked him on the back, never once leaving his warm and protective embrace. "Of course you can you prat! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment?"_

_He separated himself from her, and looked into his eyes. "I don't know about you, but I've been dreaming about this moment ever since I saw you come down the stairs the night of the ball in our fourth year. You were so beautiful, 'Mione. And I know then and there, that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you." he admitted again, as he slowly lowered his face to hers and kissed her._

_Her heart was a flutter when their lips met. It was short, but full of emotion._

"_I love you too Ron." she admitted before throwing her arms around his neck and pulling his face into hers for a long deep kiss. No more words needed to be spoken._

_They stayed that way for almost five full minutes, before she finally suggested he wait for a second while she packed up her books so that they could continue this elsewhere. A proposal he most willingly accepted._

-END FLASHBACK-

Just thinking about it brought a smile to her face. She loved him, and nothing was going to change that.

It was while she was lost in these thoughts that she was pulled back to reality when she felt the presence of someone behind her.

She turned around quickly to see a red bolt of light shooting towards her. It was too close to get a spell of in time, so she braced herself for impact, and waited to see what would happen.

But only darkness followed.

* * *

"Ron, wait up. I can explain." called Harry. 

Ron stopped, and turned to face him. "Well? Explain. Explain why you don't trust one of your best friends. Explain why you just don't ask her yourself?"

"You're right, it would be unfair of me, if that were really what we were doing." Harry said, as he placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder, "but you see, what's really happening, is that Athena chased after Hermione to stun her and place her in a broom closet. Just like I'm about to do to you." he finished with a grin.

Before Ron could react, Harry had knocked him out with a one of his sorcerer stunners, which was much quicker when he was in contact with the target.

Harry cast a quick concealment charm on Ron, and then levitated him and started to make his way to the third floor.

Getting there, he saw Athena dragging Hermione behind her and shook his head.

"You _are_ a witch you know." he said, before dropping the invisibility spell on Ron, showing him hovering next to Harry.

Athena just scowled.

After placing the two of them, comfortably, in the broom closet, Harry magically locked the door with a much more powerful spell then he thought Hermione could break.

Harry then cancelled his stunner, and got Athena to do the same, and spoke, "Ok, here's the deal. We know you two like each other, so you're gonna stay in there till you talk about it and figure it all out. We'll be back later to check on you. And don't bother yelling, I've cast a silencing and concealment charm over the closet. No one will find you until we come back. Happy talking." finished Harry with a grin.

"I think that about does it. Wanna go back and see if there's any desert left?" asked Harry.

"Sounds good to me, shall we?" she asked, extending her bent arm towards him. He slipped his underneath, and they started off towards the Great Hall, arm in arm, and laughing at finally accomplishing their goal.

* * *

**AN:** Again, a big thank you to all my readers.Please keep the reviews coming. 

Farfumsane.


	34. Twas the night before Christmas break

**Disclaimer: **Even though I make nothing off my musings, I would still like to thank JKR for providing me with the means to let my imagination soar.

**Chap 33: Twas the laugh before Christmas and all through the school...**

"See? I told you we shouldn't keep it a secret." she started, a little miffed that her own sister would stun her from behind!

"But it's been fun. We've been able to pull the wool over their eyes for the last three weeks. It's been worth it. And we keep messing up their plans too, it's been a blast. We really should have expected something like this sooner or later." Then looking at her, he smiled. "Thank you for doing this for me. I know you didn't want to, but I've really enjoyed it. We make a good team you know. If you want, we can tell them when we get out. I'm not ashamed. I have absolutely no problem with this at all. You know that, right?" he asked, almost concerned.

She smiled back warmly, "Of course I know that Ron, and you're right. It has been fun." she admitted with a grin. "But I refuse to give them the satisfaction of thinking _THEY _were the ones who got us together when it was you all along." Then she smiled brightly. "And I'll always be grateful that you did." she admitted, before pulling him close and kissing him soundly.

"I love you." she whispered as they separated.

"I love you too baby." he said tenderly, as he pushed one of her curls from her face with his finger. "So what's you're plan."

* * *

Grinning at his audience, Harry motioned to the closet, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you, the newest couple in Hogwarts, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger." He announced to all assembled (the Mansion group) as he wordlessly and wandlessly cancelled all the spells and magically opened the door. 

Unfortunately for Harry, it was not a happy couple that emerged.

"I can't BELIEVE I listened to you!" yelled Hermione as she came out of the closet. "Keep it a secret, don't let them know. Ya, that was a GREAT idea." she continued accusingly towards Ron.

"Well exuuuuuuuse me for wanting to have a little fun at the expense of my friends! I thought it would be a hoot to keep it from them. How was _I _supposed to know that they were going to attack us in the middle of the school and lock us up!" he retorted.

"I knew that dating you was a mistake! Secretly or openly. I can't believe I trusted you. I'm going to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life now, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT. WE'RE THROUGH!" yelled Hermione before storming off.

Ron looked like a crushed man. "Hermione, wait. I...I didn't mean..."

"I don't CARE! Goodbye!" she said before storming away, slamming her shoulder into Athena's as she passed.

His face then turned hard. "Fine then! Go! I...I don't care either!"

The rest of the group was flabbergasted.

"Ron...I...I didn't know..." Harry tried to say before being interrupted by his best friend.

"She's gone. Good riddance! Thanks Harry. I didn't know what kind of a girl she was. If she cracked under something this small, I'd hate to think how she would have reacted if something bigger came along!" Ron said, still visibly frustrated.

"Ron, I didn't..." but again he was cut off.

"Don't worry. I'm better off without her." he pointed out, with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "I'm off to bed. Goodnight." said Ron a little quieter, before leaving a still totally dumbfounded quartet behind.

After Ron had left, Harry started, "I didn't mean...I didn't know...Oh man, I blew it again!" he said, sinking to his knees.

"Don't worry Harry, I'm sure they'll get over it." offered Demeter, consolingly. "They were meant for each other. They'll work it out."

"It's my fault anyways, Harry. It was my idea. I'm gonna go and apologize to her and tell her that you and Ron had nothing to do with it. She's smart, she'll listen to reason." 'I hope.' she thought to herself.

Neville, who had just remained silent through the whole exchange, came over and helped Harry up. "Let's go back to the tower and try to talk to them. It looks like they didn't need our help after all. Maybe we can asked them to ignore the help we tried to give them, and go back to the way things were before." he suggested, taking Harry's arm and leading him back to Gryffindor common room.

Harry nodded in a defeated manner. 'I shouldn't have interfered' he thought.

_Probably not, but you weren't the only one who tried, we're all guilty of it. I'm sure it'll work out ok. You'll see._ She offered with a small smile and taking his other arm.

He smiled back. 'Thanks Gin.'

_Anytime._

The trio walked right into Demeter and Athena, who had been ahead of them, upon entering the portrait hole.

"What is it Demeter?" asked Neville.

Looking past the two stationary girls, the trio noticed Ron and Hermione cuddled together in each other's arms in front of the fire.

They both smiled up at their friends' confused and shocked expressions.

"Do you want to tell them?" asked Hermione looking over at her boyfriend?

"Why don't you do it, love." Ron answered.

"Have we learned our lesson?" asked the bushy haired brunette on the couch. "Not to interfere with the love lives of others?"

The five at the door nodded.

"Good, now come over here and sit down so we can explain everything to you." she said with a smile.

The other five sat, and Ron and Hermione confessed to everything. That they'd been together for over three weeks, that they'd been listening in, and that they had been keeping this from them solely for the purpose of seeing their reactions.

Harry, of course, questioned Ron about 'invading others' privacy' by listening in. Ron admitted that he might have gone a bit overboard with Harry, but he was trying to make sure that Harry didn't find out about him and Hermione, as that would seriously ruin his fun.

The seven of them were laughing, and having fun together, again by the end of the night with no hard feelings among them. Harry and Athena were warned, however, they should expect retaliation at some point, as the whole stunning them thing was their idea. The two willingly accepted this, thinking that it couldn't be any worse then thinking they had just ruined their best friends' lives, as they had thought earlier.

* * *

" 'ARRY! 'ARRY! I di't! I di't!" cried the half giant from across the Great Hall as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table. 

"That's great Hagrid!" said a smiling Harry, "Let me see."

Hagrid proudly handed Harry the parchment.

"WOW! A 95? That's excellent! I never got that high when I was tested! Good for you." Harry congratulated him.

"Proffess'r McGonagall was impress'd too. She ask'd what'I did to g't bett'r. I told 'er yeh help'd me! Then she ask'd me if'n I w's sure it w's yeh. Since she nev'r rememb'r'd yeh gettin marks like tha'." He said smiling.

"That sounds about right." offered Ron.

"Anyways, I'm off ter the stabl's to see the grinff'ns. Cute littl' things. Bye!"

"Bye Hagrid." Harry offered as the man left the Hall.

"She really shouldn't be saying things like that about you Harry. A students grades are supposed to be confidential!" said Hermione, in a slightly aggravated voice.

"Don't worry 'bout it 'Mione. It doesn't bother me. That's probably why she did it. I'm just glad to see Hagrid doing so well. I never thought I'd see the day when he was using a real wand, and not that silly pink umbrella of his." Harry laughed, followed by others.

"But have you seen the size of that wand? It's more like a staff." Ron admitted.

"What's wrong Ron? Do you have wand envy?" asked Athena with an evil glint in her eye.

"NO!" he said defensively, much to the amusement of the others.

"You shouldn't Ron. You're wand is the perfect size for you, and you handle it very well." started Hermione, totally oblivious to the double entendres going on around her, and not understanding the laughing that had erupted at her words. "Everyone knows it's not the size of the wand that matters, it's the way you use it to channel your magic."

The laughing just got louder, and Ron's face just got redder. He tried to make her be quiet, but she wouldn't have it, she didn't know what was going on, but she would not just sit there and let everyone laugh at her Ron.

"I know he takes good care of it. I see him polishing it regularly." The laughter increased, yet again, and Ron, if possible, turned even redder.

"Stop it! Ron's wand is perfect for him. He's used it around me everyday, and he's very adept." The laughter doubled.

"And his new one works a million times better for him then that old one did. I'm glad he broke his last one! Who cares if the replacement was an inch shorter!" Most of Gryffindor table was on the floor by now, as were anyone else within earshot.

Ron got up quickly and excused himself, and Hermione was just livid. Ginny, feeling sorry for her friend, decided to let her in on what was so funny. She leaned over and whispered something into Hermione's ear.

Hermione could have died right there.

She turned redder then Ron had been, and started sputtering, before making a mad dash for the door Ron had just exited from. The howling laughter lasted for a good ten minutes after that.

* * *

By the next day, the wand conversation had been passed around the school and even the teachers had had a good laugh about the whole thing. Much to Ron and Hermione's eternal embarrassment. 

"Ron, we still got quidditch tonight? Or will you be polishing your wand?" ribbed Katie.

"That's right! Got to keep it in tip top shape if you're gonna be using it around your girlfriend and all." added another seventh year sitting with her.

Ron mumbled something incomprehensible and made his way over to his friends.

"Don't worry Ron, I'm sure it'll all blow over soon." encouraged Neville, trying to hold back his smile.

"And you know, if you didn't show how much it bothered you, they'd probably stop." smirked Harry.

"Um...excuse me?" asked a timid first year looking at Ron. "I was wondering if you could help me?"

Thinking it was a prefect duty related thing, and happy for the distraction, Ron responded, "Of course, what can I do for you?"

"Well...I've been having problems with my wand movement for transfiguration and they told me you were an expert at handling your wand. Could you help me?" he asked tentatively, as he noticed Ron's ever growing anger.

"Who?...WHO said that?" Ron asked, doing his best to control his anger. The little boy, with a _very_ shaky finger pointed at the now retreating forms of Dean and Seamus, as they ducked out of the portrait hole, laughing rather loudly.

"They. Are. Dead." said Ron as he got up, and ran to the portrait hole. Once outside, the whole room burst out into laughter, except for the poor terrified first year, who had no idea what was going on.

"Poor..(chuckle) ...Ron." said Harry. "If it weren't so (chuckle) funny, I think I'd feel sorry for him."

"Hermione hasn't even (chuckle) left the Library. She refuses (chuckle) to go near anyone until this (chuckle) blows over." said Athena, trying to get herself under control.

"Oh, but Charms today was priceless." laughed a reminiscing Neville. "When Professor Flitwick told everyone to take out their wand, but to keep then to themselves and not try to refrain from polishing them in class." he barely finished, before the mansion group started laughing heavily again.

"Or...or Transfiguration, when Professor McGonagall saw Ron twirling his wand before class and said 'You know, Mr. Weasley, I've been told that if you play with your wand to much, you could go blind'." offered Athena, getting a laugh again.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I'm not in those classes with you guys, they sound priceless." said Ginny, who had joined them that night for homework, since Justin had said he had a meeting to go to for one of the classes without Ginny.

"You're not missing much, Gin." admitted Harry, "Those are probably the two most entertaining things that have happened all year. Other then that, it's just a lot of work. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a fifth years' workload again." he in a mock dreamlike tone.

Ginny smiled. _I know what you're trying to do Harry._

'What's that?' he thought, innocently.

_You're trying to make me feel better that I'm a year behind you. You don't have to, you know._ She admitted.

'I know Gin, but I hate it when you're left out. You're a big part of this group, and that has NOTHING to do with what year you're in, who's sister you are, or what happened to you in the past. It has to do with who you are. And I really like that person, as does everyone else in the group. You're one of us, and nothing's gonna change that.

Ginny just smiled. _Thanks Harry._

"Besides," continued Neville, "That quiz we have due tomorrow really sucks. It's taken me over six hours to research it, and I still have to write it!"

"You can borrow mine if you like." offered Demeter timidly.

"Really? You'll let me?" asked a surprised Neville.

"Of course, what are friends for?" she replied with a smile, before handing him her parchment, with a slight blush.

Ginny and Harry smiled at the exchange. It was just a matter of time. But this time, Harry had learned his lesson all too well and wasn't going to interfere...much.

* * *

That weekend, Harry thought it best to treat Ron and Hermione to Friday and Saturday nights in the Mansion, instead of just the usual Saturday, since they had had such a horrible week. 

He also decided to bring out all the stuff he had found, and start dividing it all up amongst his friends. Ginny had already chosen hers, but the others hadn't had their turns yet.

"You're saying that these are all magical items that you've found either in Godric's office, which you still have to show us by the way, and around the Mansion?" asked a disbelieving Ron as he stared at the pile of cloaks, wands, boots and other things in front of him.

"That's about the long and the short of it, ya." admitted Harry.

"And you want us to pick things out of here for ourselves?" he asked again, uncertain whether or not to be grateful from his friend's generosity.

"Look Ron. This isn't charity. If we're gonna be fighting together, we need to be safe. There is no way I need five sets of battle robes during a fight, and it's stupid for me to keep them here, doing nothing, when you guys have nothing defensive of your own to wear. Let me do this for you? If you don't want to keep them, then after the war you can return them all to me and I wont complain. But for now, please take them, and use them to protect yourselves?" Harry pleaded.

Ron conceded, "You're right mate, that does make sense. And after the war, you're getting it all back...unless I become attached to it that is." he added with a grin.

"Sounds good to me." Harry smiled, "Now, since you took the most abuse this past week, and since I still owe both you and Hermione for what I did a few days ago, you get the first picks. You all get three things each. Just to clarify, pairs and sets count as one item."

"Hermione? Ladies first." offered her boyfriend with a bow.

"Thanks love. Harry? Why don't you explain each item to us, and then we'll have a better idea of what we want." she asked their host.

"That's reasonable." Harry admitted, before going into as much detail as he could about each item on the table.

After the descriptions, Hermione chose the shield ring which, upon command of the wearer, emits a magical shield that is as large as a large shield from a suit of armour (not a body shield, but a bit smaller). It only lasts for 15 minutes, and can only be used three times in a 24 hour period, and was made of the same 'material' as Harry's wandless shield was, so it can block any spell, even the unforgivables. For her second item, she chose one of the spell balls and placed a mass healing spell in it, and finally she picked one of the modified Auror wand holsters that were charmed not to let it's contents be summoned and also negated disarming spells such as expeliarmus. She didn't plan on being in any fighting, so she left the battle robes for the others.

Ron went straight for one of the sets of battle robes. It was a sleeveless dragon hide battle robe which look more like sleeveless trench coat, but it didn't change shape like Harry's. It was perfect for use with a sword as it could be tied tight around the upper torso even though it remained loose and flowing around the base. It was, unfortunately, maroon. The colour was starting to grow on Ron, and he decided that he could even emblazon his family crest on the front of it. The second item he went for, were the matching maroon dragon hide bracers. On the top of each one there was a wand holster, and on the bottom, a throwing daggers. They were both enchanted to stop summoning charms or expeliarmus from working if wand is in holster or hand. The two daggers were called daggers of returning. Once they leave the wearer's hand, they return to the holsters in five seconds. Whether that be because they were taken by another, thrown, dropped, or anything, they would return to the sheaf five seconds later unless they were in the wearer's hand. The whole outfit could quite comfortably be worn under a set of school robes, so he thought them perfect for his needs. He also chose the antidote ring that was there. It was a ring that made the wearer immune to any poison, whether it me magical or mundane. They all thought this was appropriate with the amount of food Ron ate, this way, he'd never have to worry about bad Chinese take out, said Athena, much to Ron's confusion.

Neville decided to be a gentleman as well, and let the other two ladies go before him. Their choices were quite similar to each other, and very practical. Since the two of them were going to be on the front lines as a defender and an attacker, they both chose to grab a dragon hide battle suit, standard black, and an extra wand. The suits became form fitting as soon as they were worn and looked very much like black leather body suits. They were extremely pliable, and didn't hinder movement in the least. They were also virtually weightless and were meant to be worn under regular robes, or even muggle clothes, without any discomfort. Both sleeves of each suit also held wand holster with a quick release on it, much like the Auror holser Hermione got. Athena then picked a magical alohamora ring which can be used once a day to release the wearer from any type of bonds, or unlock a lock by touch, also once every 24 hrs. Demeter's third pick was a spell storing ring that can store one spell cast by the wizard until released. The spell chosen was usually defensive in nature, since the spell released only affects the wearer. 

This left Neville with no real choice of what he got, but also an extra item. Like the two girls before him, he got an extra wand that came with a magical holster. The holster had all the same features as Hermione's, but unlike hers, once it was strapped to his arm, it became invisible. This would be handy for keeping it hidden from his grandmother and other prying eyes. It was, after all, illegal to have a second wand without the proper authorization papers, so those in the group that did have one, would have to be extra careful not to let that get out. He also got the remaining two spell balls, which he asked Harry to fill with a couple of the spells that he couldn't cast, but could come in handy like his dome shield, and some of his special stunners. He also got the pair of dragon hide boots that were left which were enchanted with warming and cooling charms to always be comfortable, and were also, as with most dragon hide items, immune to minor hexes and curses.

The last three were also all pleased to find that their back up wands all responded very well to them after they swapped them around a bit.

All in all, no one was complaining, but Ron was curious.

"Harry? How come you and Ginny didn't pick anything?"

"Oh, we already did." he explained.

Ron was slightly confused, "I can understand you having access, but when did Ginny pick her stuff?" asked Ron.

"Oh, well, she helped me find and sort through it all." he said, not wanting to tell them that she had been joining him every night, but not seeing many ways out of this.

"And when was this?" asked a grinning Hermione. He could tell she knew something, or thought she knew something anyways, but he didn't know what that something was.

"A few weeks ago. Why don't you show them what you got Gin?" he said, deflecting the attention on to her.

"Ok." She said with a shrug. She mentally turned her cloak into the battle robe's normal appearance. Then she took off her invisible wand holster, which was like Neville's and showed them the wand inside, and then removed the ring that the girls had noticed her wearing for the last few weeks. They had seen her playing with it from time to time with a smile on her face, and so assumed Justin had given it to her and so were a bit surprised to find out that it was from Harry.

Harry and Ginny had talked earlier, and they had decided to keep the other things a secret. There as no point in telling the whole group that she got twice as many items as them, besides, she needed those items to slip into the mansion undetected every night. She had even given the boots back to Harry telling him it wasn't fair that she had so much more then them. He accepted her argument with a grin, and took them back.

"The ring is one of water breathing, so I can breathe normally underwater." she explained, "And the holster is like Neville's. This spare wand actually works better for me then the hand-me-down that I'm using, but these Robes are the best of the lot. They're like Harry's and can change their appearance to suit my needs. See?" she said as she turned them into a beautiful, glittering dark blue evening dress.

Harry was speechless. She looked incredible. He shook his head quickly though. She was dating Justin, and was just a friend. That's all.

Hermione didn't miss his reaction, and mentally took note of it, filing it away in her mind along with the griffon incident a week ago and all the other little things she had been noticing about her two other best friends.

Ginny changed it back a couple of seconds later, to Harry's relief.

"How come she got first crack at stuff?" asked Ron in mock frustration. "If I could have had those, I wouldn't have been stuck with maroon again." he said, getting a chuckle out of the crowd.

Everyone went and changed into their new things, and spent the rest of the evening trying them out, and getting used to their new toys.

The rest of the weekend passed by uneventfully, except for the tournament. As Ginny had predicted, Harry won, and she finished second, much to Ron's dismay. He complained that if he didn't know better, he'd say they had been practicing every night since the summer. And that Harry probably was, since he knew Harry didn't stay in his room at nights.

Harry turned a little red in embarrassment, but Ginny defended him, and told her brother that Harry must have been working very hard if he had been able to beat them both, and there was no point being sore about it.

Ron agreed, and even apologized, before commending Harry on all his hard work.

* * *

December was now fully upon them, and the mansion group, minus Ron, Hermione and Ginny, were making their way to Hogsmeade. The couple had chosen to spend the morning together in town, and Ginny was also with her beau. They would all meet up again at the Three Broomsticks later in the afternoon. 

It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before the Christmas break, and they were all planning on making the most of it. Once in town, the quartet decided to split up, guys and gals for an hour or so to do the Christmas shopping, at which time, they would swap partners and shop for the one they had been with before, in order to keep all the Christmas presents a secret.

Harry already had most of his gifts chosen, and purchased, he just had to pick them up. He felt like Santa, and couldn't wait to see the faces of his friends when he gave them their gifts. He loved the looks of joy on their faces when they got something they liked and he loved to be able to make his friends happy. He just hoped they didn't complain. He had gone all out this year, and bought them all rather expensive things, but they were worth more to him then any amount of gold, and he wanted, just this once, to get them something extra special.

"Come on, Nev. I have to go to the Post office to get a parcel, and after that, we can head off to where ever you need to go." Harry said, rather excitedly.

Neville agreed, and they were off.

Once Harry had the package in hand, he was doing a pretty good impression of Dobby. He was so excited to see what was inside the box that he almost destroyed it while trying to get it opened. Neville saw the smile that erupted on his friends face, but couldn't get close enough to see what was inside.

"Whatcha got in there?" asked Neville. He thought he saw the symbol for Quality Quidditch Suplies, but wasn't sure.

Harry quickly closed the lid and covered the box with his body protectively, "You can't know, at least not yet. You're gift is one of them." he added with a grin, before shrinking the box, and placing it in his cloak pocket.

"Alrighty, Nev. Your turn. Lets go!" Neville nodded in agreement.

After the hour was up, the two boys met up with the two girls, and Harry decided to try a bit of matchmaking. Nothing forceful mind you, just a little nudge.

"Come on Athena, we better get going. Only an hour left before we meet up with the others at the Three Broomsticks." said Harry as he dragged a pleasantly surprised Athena off by the hand, leaving Neville and Demeter to look at each other awkwardly and smile.

A few minutes later, after Harry thought they had gotten far enough away, he smiled. "There we go. I hope that works."

"What?" asked Athena.

"I've noticed that Demeter and Neville had been looking at each other quite a bit, and thought I'd give them a little push today." he explained with a content grin.

"Oh." sighed a Athena, who had been hoping Harry was dragging her off for another reason. Deciding to make the best of the situation, however, Athena took him by the arm, and asked, "So where are we going first?"

Harry smiled back. He had totally missed her sad expression, and was currently still thinking about the Neville and Demeter. "I have no where to go. I have everything I need already." he admitted as they started to walk, "What about you?"

"Umm...I wouldn't mind going to Honeydukes." she suggested, smiling.

Finally noticing the look in her eyes, and the fact that they were arm and arm, Harry decided to put an end to that right away.

"Ok...Race ya!" he said as he dropped her arm, and took off running.

'Damn! He did it again!' she growled as she took off after him. 'I will have you, Harry Potter! One of these days I will catch you!' she thought to herself as she grinned.

She so liked a challenge.

* * *

In the week to follow, before they left for the Christmas holidays, all the talk surrounding Ron's wand had died off, and almost everyone in Hogwarts were really getting into the holiday spirit. 

The halls were decorated, the ghosts were caroling, the students were celebrating (between classes of course) and even most of the teachers had decided to go a little easier on the students. McGonagall was working with the younger students on easy spells they could show their families over the holidays, Flitwick was showing students of all ages how to get a house festive in a hurry with great Christmas decor. Even the DA sessions for that week had all been replaced by social events, allowing the group to properly celebrate together before going to their families.

Harry thought that all this good humour should not go unexploited, and so the next of his series of house pranks were put into motion.

* * *

The last morning of classes before the Christmas break, as the Headmaster sat for breakfast, he noticed that one of the house tables were missing all its students. Looking over at their head of house he asked, "Professor McGonagall? Is this a planned event that you are aware of, or are we to be entertained but yet another Marauder prank?" 

The head of house just shrugged. Thinking back to the incident with the Ravenclaws, she sat back in his chair, and waited for the fun to begin. Though she was curious as to why the student she suspected of being the current new marauder, was pranking his own house.

Fifteen minutes later, the doors of the great all opened, and in came a whole horde of three foot high students, all with recognizable faces, but pointed ears, all dressed in little green outfits and suspenders and wearing green pointed hats. Funny as this was, what really got everyone laughing, was the high pitched voices of the chorus of Santa's little helpers singing 'jingle bells', twirling rather large candy canes and being led by the Golden Trio of Gryffindor.

If this wasn't enough, a loud, "HO, HO, HO!" could be heard beyond the door just before they flew open to find a half giant version of Santa Claus himself, merrily flying into the room on an enchanted sleigh pulled by nine tiny...dragons?

Santa Hagrid continued his Ho-ing tossing out handful after handful of the muggle candy canes everywhere, as his dragon led sleigh flew in circles around the Great Hall.

The signing elves had changed their tune when Santa entered and were now singing, "You know Dasher and Dancer and Prance and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, but do you recall...the most famous dragon of all...Rudolph the red nosed ridgeback..." Even the purebloods in the group enjoyed the spectacle, though some were a tad curious as to what types of games dragons would play.

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled merrily at the sight and most of the staff laughed at the scene.

When the elves all got into position at the Gryffindor table, they all switched back into themselves in a puff of smoke. Even Hagrid returned to normal and the miniature dragons disappeared (much to Hagrid's chagrin), before the tell tale Marauder handwriting appeared on the wall.

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, FROM MESSRS PRONGS, PADFOOT, MOONY AND MYTH. SEASONS GREETINGS.

Many of the students started clapping, most of whom now had candy canes sticking out of their mouths. Even a number of the Gryffindors, who all still had their two-foot candy canes in hand, chuckled with the other houses.

Harry fully intended on being an equal opportunity prankster. 'And then there were three.' he thought amusedly.

_Three what?_ Asked his inquisitive red headed friend who was currently in the seat next to him.

'Oh nothing, my dear Ginny. Nothing at all.' he responded.

_Whatever you say...MYTH. I swear, I'm gonna finish that animagus form over Christmas if it kills me, and then you WILL be including me in future pranks._ She threatened.

Harry just smiled in reply as he put some bacon on his plate, and started breakfast.

"Harry!" Ron 'whispered' from across the table. "What's up with you pranking your own house?" Though Ron's idea of a whisper was anything but, nobody else seemed to hear him.

Harry smiled again. "I really don't know what you mean Ron. Though I would hazard a guess that whoever _IS_ behind this, is trying to promote school unity, and so will probably prank all the houses...and maybe even the staff too."

Ron took his friends response to mean that he wasn't going to be explaining anything real soon, so Ron returned to what he did best: eating.

* * *

"You first!" said an excited Sally-Ann as she looked at Harry across the couch. Each of them held the Christmas present that the other had given them. They had decided to exchange gifts before the holidays, since it would be impossible for Harry to visit her on Christmas without _extreme_ difficulty. 

"Ok." He said, before tearing away the paper protecting it.

Inside the packaging was a small box. Opening the box, Harry finds a small piece of paper.

Redeemable for one magical tattoo of medium size, two small ones or two piercings, at "Bartholomew's Bazaar Brands." Located at 241 Diagon Alley.

Harry was surprised, intrigued, but surprised.

"I wondered to myself," started the Slytherin, "What do you get for the boy who literally has everything. Then I thought, 'I bet he'd look really good with a tattoo.' Not that you don't already look good Harry, but you know, there's always room for improvement." she joked.

"Thanks...I think. I really don't know if I want a tattoo or not though." he said, apprehensively.

Sally-Ann feigned shock, "What? You're not...SCARED are you? I mean really! Aren't you a Gryffindor?" she asked in mock disbelief.

Harry grinned, "Oh, so _that's_ how you're gonna play this is it?" to which she nodded, "Fine then, if it's a matter of honour, and defending my house, then I guess I'll just have to get it done."

"That's what I like to hear." she replied. "When do you want to go do it?"

"I can't before Christmas. Maybe after the break. We'll talk about it later, ok?"

"But you _will_ get it done...right?" she prodded.

"Yes," he smiled, "I _will_ get it done." he parroted.

"Good. Now, my turn." she said, before attacking the gift in her hands.

Inside the neatly wrapped paper was a small box. Her fingers shaking slightly with anticipation, she slowly opened it to reveal a small snake pendant and chain.

"It's white gold. I know that Slytherin colours are silver and green, but silver sucks at holding permanent enchantments, so I went with white gold instead." explained Harry, slightly embarrassed.

Sally-Ann, who had been taking the beautiful pendant into her hand while Harry explained, stopped suddenly when Harry said the word enchantment.

Seeing her hesitation, he explained, "I had it enchanted to protect your mind from invasion. I know you're taking occlumency with me, but this will help you over the holidays if you need it."

She smiled gratefully at him and held it out to him, "Could you put it on for me? Please?" she asked.

Harry took it from her, and she turned around. He slipped it onto her neck, and did it up. After he had finished, she turned back around, holding her long hair back so that she could get a better look at as it hung around her neck.

"Another enchantment I placed on it myself was a portkey. It'll take you to this room and at the same time, notify me so I can come and help. I hope you never need to use it, but at least now you have a safe way out. It activates when you say the words "I love Gryffindor"." Harry explained with a smirk, as Sally-Ann scowled, "It's the only thing I could think of that wouldn't come up in everyday conversation with you." Harry grinned.

She looked at him quizzically, "That horrible password aside, you said made this portkey that brings someone into the castle? And it works?"

"Ya, why?" he asked, not knowing why this was such a big deal.

"First of all, you are underage, and not even employed by the ministry, so your use of the portkey spell was illegal, but more impressive is that you made one that works in Hogwarts, since its rumored that only the Headmaster can do that." she said.

"Oh." he replied. "I guess that will just have to be classified under the stuff I can't tell you yet."

She frowned, "I know you have secrets Harry, but it's times like these that I remember how big those secrets are. I just hope someday you trust me enough to tell me some of them."

"I hope one day it's safe enough to tell you some of them too." he said in agreement.

She smiled slightly. His subtle changing of her words did not go unnoticed by her. She smiled because in his mind he was protecting her, and it wasn't about trust.

The rest of their evening was spent sharing Christmas stories, even though Harry had significantly less then she did to share, they had fun all the same.

* * *

Harry was sitting down in the common room waiting for the rest of the group to get down stairs. Not surprisingly, Hermione was the first. 

"Are you ready to do already?" she asked him in disbelief.

"Yep." Harry answered with a smile.

"All packed and everything?"

"Yep." said Harry as he produced his wooden rubix cube.

Hermione shook her head, "I keep forgetting that you have a portable house. Must be nice." she said in mock jealousy, before smiling and sitting down next to him on the sofa.

"How's everything going with you and Ron?" he asked, still feeling a bit guilty for what he had done.

"I swear, if I would have known you'd have taken it so bad I wouldn't have talked Ron into it. Stop looking so worried. We're doing great. Better then great, it's perfect." She replied reassuringly. "And how about you and Ginny?" she slipped in with a grin.

He was about to reply, when he actually realised what she had said, "Have you been talking to Godric? I swear, that portrait can't keep his painted yap shut. Like I told him, there is nothing between the two of us, we're just friends, and besides, she has a boyfriend." he said in irritation.

"No, I didn't talk to Godric, I was just teasing. It's obvious you two have been spending more time together. I didn't mean to upset you." she said, soothingly. She wanted to tease him, not enrage him. Though she had noticed that he had been doing much better recently at controlling his emotions. After Harry had explained to everyone his emotion control issues a this past weekend, he had been trying really hard to get them under control, and everyone had been helping as much as they could. Not that there was much they could do but listen and try to be understanding of his problem.

"I know, sorry." he said realizing his over reaction.

"Don't worry about it. So...how often does she join you at the mansion anyways?" Hermione asked, not wanting to anger him further, but being driven by her curiosity.

Harry mumbled quietly, "every night."

Biting back her initial response of 'just friend, eh?', and decided to come at it from another angle, "Then that would explain why the two of you are so close now. I don't think the others have noticed mind you. And Harry, if you say it's just friends, then I wont bug you about it. I'm glad you have a good friend to spend time with when Ron and I are off...you know..." she had started talking without really thinking where her mouth was taking her, and now that she was there, she was thoroughly embarrassed.

"Snoggin?" he finished for her cheekily. "Thanks Hermione. You know no one could ever replace you though. You're my sister, and always will be." he reassured her with a smile.

He reached over and hugged him, "Thanks little brother." she whispered in his ear.

"Now," started Hermione after composing herself and separating from Harry, "You are expected to come over and have Christmas lunch with me and my family. I wont take no for an answer, and that's final."

Harry looked at her quizzically.

Hermione laughed, "You look like Spock when you do that...without the pointy ears."

"Funny, and I thought _you_ were the 'logical' one." teased Harry, earning him a playful swat in the arm.

"Anyways," she continued, "It's a family dinner, and so you have to come little brother. You don't have a choice. You can go over to the Weasleys for Breakfast, and have dinner with Remus. That way you can spend time with all your family. Ok?"

Harry smiled. He liked being part of a family, even if it was unofficial. "Sounds good to me. What time?"

"Be there by 11 and we can open gifts before lunch." she told him.

The chatted about other things as the people continued down the stairs.

Harry had never ridden the train in the winter time, having always stayed at school over the holidays, so this was a treat for him. The mansion group all squeezed in one room, and spent the time talking, laughing, playing chess and even singing the odd Christmas carol. They had agreed that they didn't want to be interrupted by anyone, so Harry sealed the car and threw up a silencing charm to keep the distractions out. They had already said goodbye to everyone in the DA the night before, and the only people who would try and see them would be Malfoy, and no one really wanted to deal with him today.

Once they arrived at the platform, Harry went to see the Weasleys and told them he would come by in the morning, at which point Mrs. Weasley insisted that he at least stay for breakfast if he wasn't coming for the other two meals, which she assured him he was welcome to attend.

He then went and said hello to the Grangers and thanked them for their invitation, and assured them that he would be there at 11, as per Hermione's instructions, and he missed the face splitting grin on Athena's face.

He saw Neville's Gran, and went to say hello to her as well, then asked if it was ok to swing by on Christmas day and drop off Neville's Christmas present. She smile broadly and told him that he was always welcome at their home, and never to worry about it. 'Just show up whenever you like.' she said. Saying a quick goodbye to Neville, he returned to the Weasley's and the Grangers who had seen their children holding hands, and were now getting to know each other a bit.

"Why don't you come over right now for tea?" asked Mrs. Granger, "We don't live that far from the station, and it would be a nice to get to know you a bit better, and since we're on the floo network now, you can just use our fireplace to get home."

Mrs. Weasley, who was not used to being the visitor, but the visitee, smiled and accepted. They decided to just cast a couple of charms inside the Grangers minivan so that everyone would be able to fit a bit more comfortably. "Though I'm sure if worse comes to worse, Ron wouldn't mind if Hermione sat on his lap." said Athena getting a laugh from everyone but the two mentioned, who had instead turned rather red.

"See you on Christmas, mate." said Ron as he patted Harry on the back, "It looks like we're off."

Hermione and the other two triplets all gave him a hug and said the same, followed by Ginny, who gave him a hug and whispered, "I'll see you tonight." before leaving with everyone.

Harry had arranged to have the door set up in Godric's office every night at the same time as usual for the first few nights. Ginny really wanted to get her animagus finished, and he had promised to help. She wouldn't stay for the whole time, as the clock couldn't be fooled that much, but she could chance a few hours a night to go and visit Harry without arousing too much suspicion.

Harry was about to flash to Grimmauld place when her Heard his name being called. He turned around to see Remus coming towards him.

"Sorry I'm late, cub. For protection purposes they moved the apparition point further away from the station, and I didn't know. I would have been here 10 minutes sooner if I had been able to use the old one." explained the old wolf as he dusted himself off and gave Harry a parentally hug.

Harry was a little confused, "What are you doing here?"

"I figured it would be a nice change to go home with someone you liked for a change, instead of your relatives. Besides, isn't this what I'm supposed to do? It's your family's job to be here to get you when you arrive. And since I'm your family, I wanted to be here for you. " he explained, a little shyly.

Harry smiled. For the first time in his life, he wouldn't be going home with his relatives, but with his family.

* * *

**AN: **Hello all. Read, Review and let me know what you think. 

Farfumsane.


	35. T'were the days before Christmas

**Disclaimer:** The summer months are over, and school begins a new. That has nothing to do with the fact that I am making absolutely nothing off this, and that the majority of background information here in was not of my design, but I just thought I'd share that with you anyways. Enjoy.

**Chap 34: T'were the days before Christmas.**

That night in Grimmauld place, Remus took Harry on a tour of his house. Harry hadn't had a chance to actually look through it this summer, as he spent all of his time in the mansion. Remus and Tonks had also been working on it since the summer whenever they had spare time, which admittedly, wasn't often,

Harry was pleased to see that things had indeed changed. The colours were brighter, the decor was much less dark, and the whole house had a much lighter and welcoming atmosphere.

Arriving in the entry all, Harry noticed right away that the troll leg umbrella stand wasn't there and had been replaced by a nice brass one. Remus answered his unasked question.

"That was the first thing to go, and Tonks was more then happy to do the honours." the old wolf chuckled.

Realizing that Remus has spoken loudly, his eyes immediately shot to the wall where Mrs. Black had been hung, to see it bare.

"I was wondering when you would notice that. I'm actually surprised it wasn't the first thing that you saw out of place." Moony admitted.

"How?" Harry asked. People had tried many different methods of removing her, and nothing ever work. Harry was more then a little curious to find out what they had finally resorted to.

With a sad face, Remus explained, "It appeared as though the sticking charms was linked to Kreacher actually. As soon as he died, the picture fell to the floor. We knew something was wrong when we heard a loud thunk, and then no screaming." he explained. "Right now, we have her silenced, and sitting in the attic with the other portraits that we didn't like much. We did, however, keep Phineas. We moved him to the main meeting area though, which is the large dining room."

"There's a large dining room here?" an astonished Harry asked. He really shouldn't have been surprised, since this was a very large house, even if he had never seen it.

"We found out that the sticking charm wasn't the only thing that was tied in to Kreacher's magic. We have recently found several rooms that had been hidden. How we're not sure, but the main dining room was one of them. There was also a full potions laboratory and ingredients stock, a wine cellar, a private study and some cells in the basement. Luckily those were all empty. I even used one for my last transformation." the werewolf admitted.

"How was that?" inquired a curious Harry.

"Harry, it was fantastic...well...in comparison to how it used to be anyways. I felt absolutely no pain during transformation. The Improved Wolfsbane Potion that Matthias and I have been working on is incredible. The only problem is that I'm not a recognized potion master, and Matthias is a portrait so we wont be able to get it recognized without a Potion masters help, so after the holidays I'll be going in to the school and talking with Severus to ask for his help in the matter."

"With WHO! You can't be serious!" asked a disbelieving Harry.

"No I'm not, but he's a good frien..." Moony's standard response to being asked that trailed off slowly as he remembered. "Sorry Harry, it's a force of habit." explained the now sullen marauder.

"Don't be sorry." Harry said with a faint smile. "I'd rather remember him in times like this, when laughing and being happy, then the way I lost him." he concluded, his smile now gone.

"It's a start." admitted Remus, "It'll take a while, but we'll move on. As much as the hurt will always be there, we'll move on." he said, holding on to the shoulder of the young man in front of him.

"It's just that I still feel him, as though he's still around, just...out of reach. I can't explain it." said Harry.

"When a loved one dies, they're never really gone completely. He'll always be with you, inside of you." attempted Remus, trying really hard not to sound like a bad Hallmark card.

"I know that, but it's different. With my parents, I know they're gone, but with Sirius, it's different. It's almost like I could reach him if I knew how, but I just don't. It's rather frustrating actually."

"I wish I had the answers for you Harry, but I refuse to lie to you and tell you I do. Time will tell, and that's the best advice I can give." Harry didn't appear to be sad, or grieving, it was as he said, frustrated. Remus didn't think it was denial. He had gone through the phases of grief himself more then once, and had seen countless others go through these steps too, but he had never seen anything like this, and he was at a loss to explain it. After a slight pause, Remus decided to returned to the topic at hand.

"As I was saying, yes, I meant it. I have to talk to a potions master, and since Severus is known as an expert in the wolfsbane, and other potions to counter dark curses such as the 'Hunger Stymie' potion for vampires, he would be the ideal person to verify and endorse this potion. My name would be down as one of the creators, as all potion creators have to have their first two new potions co-researched and signed for by an already established potions master. Usually, though, said creator would be working with the master in developing it, as I did with Matthias, unfortunately, Matthias is dead, and so wouldn't be recognized." explained the old wolf.

"I understand, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. You do know that you're giving credit to one of my most disliked people in the world for something that one of my ancestors did." pointed out Harry.

"Yes Harry, but what this potion signifies, is much bigger then the petty rivalry between you and Severus." Before Harry could retort, Remus held up his hand and continued, "I know it's not all your fault Harry, and I even know that initially it wasn't your fault at all, but his has become a two way street. I admit that you have been very polite to him this year, and that's a start.

Harry just nodded slightly, not feeling at all guilty for the times he had started rows with the greasy git. And though it was true that he had been treating the potion master much better this year, it's also true that Harry had been avoiding the man, and only saw him about once a month.

"I know you have bad blood between you for a lot of reasons, but this potion is definitely a powerful tool for the light side. This potion could be the key to turning the werewolves to the light, and robbing you-know-who of some pretty strong followers at the same time."

Harry cringed when he heard the hyphenated title. He had taken to doing that on purpose to show how stupid it was to be afraid of a self imposed title, as Voldemort wasn't even the man's name.

Before Remus could comment on Harry's cringe, Harry spoke, "I know Moony, but I just don't trust the man, no matter what Albus says. And until I have a good reason for myself, I never will." explained Harry, while shaking his head.

The two continued with the tour, checking out the new dining room, the repainted, and better illuminated, library, the newly discovered, fully stalked, wine cellar and many other rooms. All had been repainted, and all were alive with colour.

Their tour, which had been almost finished, was interrupted by a loud crash as the newly purchased brass umbrella stand went crashing to the flour, and loud combinations of not so nice words, that could only come from the mouth of an auror, soon followed.

"...mandrake eating piece of dragon dung!" she finished as the two boys entered the room. Blushing slightly she spoke, "Oh, hey guys...I didn't know anyone else was here." she said shyly.

"I was just giving Harry the tour of his house. The new and improved House of Black." Remus told her.

"I've been thinking about that actually," started Harry, "I doubt that any black except Sirius, or maybe your mother, Tonks, would appreciate what you've done with the place. Perhaps we could rename it? After all, why keep the name of this house as a memorial to an entire line of people we don't like, when all we really want to do is remember one of them?" asked Harry.

"Did you have something in mind?" asked Tonks.

"Padfoot's pad?" offered Remus.

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of Marauder Mansion." corrected Harry.

"I like it!" exclaimed Tonks.

"That way it serves as a memorial to departed, but also living friends. Good idea Harry." agreed Moony.

"Excellent. Then I suggest we put that big dining room to use tonight with a full-blown celebration feast. Places set for marauders old and new, here and departed, and also their significant others. Stewy!" Harry called.

"What can Stewy be doing for you today Harry?" asked the house elf. Harry had set up the mansion earlier when they had passed by Sirius' old room, and told Stewy they'd be spending the night in Grimmauld place instead of Potter Mansion.

"I was wondering if it would be any trouble to cook up a feast for the three of us in celebration of the unofficial re-naming of Grimmauld place. I know you weren't expecting us tonight, so that's why I'm asking to see if it's ok with you."

"Of course it is Harry. Stewy is here to be serving." said the small house elf with a bow.

"Thank you Stewy, but only if you're sure it wont be a bother." asked Harry.

"Harry still doesn't understand house elfs." Stewy started to say with hesitation, "We is not acting like this because we have to, we is doing things because we is liking to do them. House elfs like cleaning, and cooking and serving. It is giving us a feeling of being useful, and doing something. Stewy never finding anything Harry asks him to do too much. If Stewy had to complain about anything, it is that Stewy sometimes does not have enough to do." said the brave little elf as he addressed his master.

"I'm sorry Stewy, I had no idea. We'll have to sit down at some point over the holidays and talk more about your culture, and what you like. That way I'll know better what to expect of you, and I'll stop trying to treat you exactly like a human, and more like yourself." Harry conceded.

"Harry Potter is being a very great wizard indeed. Father Dobby has told Stewy of the greatness of Harry Potter, and how Harry Potter is always trying to be kind to everyone, and help everyone, even house elfs. Stewy never really believed, Stewy is sorry, but now Stewy knows that Father Dobby was telling the truth. Please forgive Stewy for doubting." said the elf, slightly apprehensive about receiving punishment.

"There's nothing to forgive Stewy," replied a smiling Harry.

"Thank you Harry. Stewy is going to start dinner. It will be ready at seven." said the little elf before vanishing.

"That is probably the most in depth conversation about house elf mentality that I have ever heard. No one has ever really cared enough to learn about then and their culture. They've always tried to force them to be like us, or to serve us without question." admitted Remus.

"I know. I was just thinking about Hermione, and her efforts with SPEW. I really don't think she's going about it the right way. Instead of asking them what they want, she just assumes they want freedom, and if they can't see that, then that's just proof that their enslavement has blinded them to what their life is really supposed to be like. I have a problem with that. There are many creatures in the animal kingdom that live their life in service to others, not because they're forced, but because that's their role in life. Like lamprey's. They cling to sharks and clean up what they leave behind, that's how they survive. If they didn't have the sharks, they would starve, or at least find it more difficult to survive. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement." explained Harry, "Or like those little birds that clean out the hippos ears. Ok, maybe not the best example," he admitted as the other to laughed, "but you get my point."

"Yes Harry, I do. And I think you're right too. You should really write up your conversation with Stewy, and maybe even have one with Dobby, as he seems to be the exception tot he rule, and maybe even with Winky, as one who has been who has been forcibly made free. Then you could compare and contrast. I doubt that there'll be much demand for it, but I know of one or two people who would read it, if for no other reason then academic curiosity." said Remus.

"I don't know" piped in Tonks, "If you made it free, and sent it out with the Daily prophet or something, that would go a long way. I bet most people would read it just because it was in the prophet. I mean really, if they read all that drivel about you last year Harry, then they'll read anything." she said, poking fun at her housemate.

Ignoring her jab, Harry responded, "That's not a bad idea there Tonks. If I put it in with a 'reputable' periodical, I bet it would get read. All I have to do is keep it relatively short, or maybe just put the pertinent extracts in the paper and then put something at the end that the complete Dialogue could be found in Flourish and Blotts at a reasonable price if they wish to learn more." thought Harry out loud.

"It would do a lot for people who own house elves to better understand the creatures that they 'own', not to mention that if you put your name on it, Harry, people will buy it." admitted Remus.

"I was thinking of doing it under a pseudonym." grumbled Harry.

"Actually, Harry, this might be one of those rare times when your fame could have a positive side effect. If people saw that you cared for house elves, they a good number would start to care too, just because it's you." said Tonks.

"True, but then those people who DON'T like me, will probably start to treat the house elves worse. It's a double edged blade." retorted Harry.

"Anyways, it's something to think about." finished Moony.

Tonks soon excused herself, saying it had been a long day and she was going to take a shower and change, leaving Harry and Remus to finished their tour.

Opening the last door a half an hour later, Harry followed Remus out onto the roof.

"And this is the roof."

"Yes, Moony, this one I know. I've been here a few times." Harry said smiling, thinking back to Tonks in a tutu.

"Ah, but that's not ALL that's up here." admitted the Marauder and after a quick wave of his wand, a small shed appeared.

"What's in there?" asked a now curious Harry.

"Why don't you open it and find out." prodded Moony.

Harry hesitantly approached the door, thinking this could be some sort of trap set up by the marauder, and seized the handle. After casting a quick wandless detection spell, and finding nothing amiss, he opened the door.

Inside, as shiny and polished as the day it was bought, was a black motorcycle. Sirius' motorcycle.

"I've never really like riding that beast and seeing as how you once told me about a dream you used to have about a flying motorcycle, this very one actually, I thought you might like it."

"Thanks" said Harry as he approached it to get a closer look.

In the shed, they also found Sirus' leather riding jacket, a couple of helmets and what appeared to be the original owner's manual for the bike, with many things scribbled on the inside in Sirus' hand writing. He detailed the various enchantments he had placed on the bike including the flying, disillusionment, silencing and other charms.

After reading it, which for Harry only took about 20 minutes, he spent the next hour before dinner riding it around the roof, and getting a feel for it under the amused yet watchful eye of Remus.

* * *

"ARRRRGH! I'm so close! Why can't I do this?" asked an exasperated Ginny as she again tried, and failed to turn into her Animagus form. It's at times like this when I can't help but think she's right!" 

"She who?" asked a confused Harry.

"Leah Ambers!" Ginny grunted.

"You're dorm mate?" Harry knew the pale girl with long, straight, black hair and piercing grayish blue eyes. "Why? What does she say?"

"It's more what she doesn't say. She never says much to me, but always seems to be there to smirk at my failures." Ginny grumbled.

"So she's never right out insulted you?" he asked.

"Not in so many words." Ginny admitted. "She's just always so...so...smug! She reminds me of Snape. She always does better then me in class, except for Charms, and then she just scowls."

"So she hasn't actually ever told you that she was better then you, or that you couldn't do things?" he asked in clarification.

"Well...no. But she's thinking it!" proclaimed Ginny.

Harry laughed, "Oh my poor jealous little Ginny." he said, before ducking a blow.

"Can we PLEASE get back to the problem at hand!" demanded the frustrated redhead.

"Alright, alright. I honestly don't know what's wrong. You know your form and you've studied it as much as you could. I really don't know what the problem is." admitted a bewildered Harry.

Suddenly, Harry sat up, and ran out of the room.

_Where are you going?_ Asked Ginny, feeling too lazy to get up and chase after him.

'I remember reading something a while ago when I first started my animagus studies, but since it didn't really pertain to me, I skipped that section, I just want to go and see if there's anything in it that might help you.' thought Harry in response.

A disheartened Ginny just sat at the table with her head in her arms, when Harry burst through the door with a satisfied look on his face.

"Are you SURE you know what your form is?" asked Harry again with a slight smirk.

"Yes! I'm sure. I told you I was sure. I did the test with Ron, and he even saw the results."

Harry produced a book from behind his back and started reading: "The standard revealing potion, though very accurate, is not foolproof. Its major problem is that it is not specific enough. Though most breeds of animal, both mundane and magical, can be determined by their appearance alone, others have appearances much to similar to other animals. For example, the golden snidget has a very similar body structure to a swallow, and since the parchment never changes colour, one would assume it was a non magical creature, and therefore making it impossible for the recipient of the potion to actually complete his transformation since they need to know exactly what creature they are trying to turn into."

"So Ginny, what are you?" asked Harry, again.

"I'm a lioness." she said firmly.

He then produced another book and read a small excerpt: "Most great cats have very similar characteristics, and are difficult to tell them apart by any means other then size and colour." then putting the book down, "Now, are you sure it's a lioness and not a jaguar or a leopard or something?" he asked.

"No" she sighed, in a defeated tone.

Then pulling out the first book again, he continued reading: "In cases such as these, a different, more detailed means is necessary in order to determine the exact nature of said animagus form: the 'enucleo acclaro', or detailed revealing, potion. Very similar to the commonly used potion with a few changes in the brewing... etc." ended Harry.

Ginny was now looking up with a hopeful look in her eyes, "You mean we can still figure it out?"

Harry laughed, "Of course we can. I even stopped by and asked Remus to start it for you on my way back. You have to go and give him some of your hair to personalize the potion. Unlike the other potion, where you add your hair before using it, this one needs it during the brewing process. It should be ready tomorrow night when you get here."

Ginny squealed and threw herself at Harry gripping him in a big hug "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Harry returned her embrace and laughed.

The laugher died, as did Ginny's excitement, but neither of them seemed to want to separate from the other. Finally, after a couple of seconds of silence, Ginny spoke, "I guess I should get down there and give him my hair."

"Hmmm" Harry answered, before slowly loosening his grip on the redhead in front of him.

As they pulled apart, they looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

"You better hurry," said Harry, "He'll be getting to that part of the brewing soon."

"Right." replied a hesitant Ginny, before she ran out the room towards the potions lab.

Making sure his mental shields were strong, so as to be _alone _with his thoughts on what had just occurred, a smile slowly spread across his lips. 'It feels good to have friends.' Thought the young man before heading off to the garden for a nice walk.

* * *

Harry had decided to get the most out of his vacation, and spent the majority of his time in his magically quicker Mansion. 

The day after his talk with Ginny(mansion time) he was sitting in his study reading his Mansion Manual again..

"Godric!" he called to the empty painting over the fireplace.

The founder soon appeared in his frame and responded, "Yes Harry? Is there something I can do for you?"

"Ya, there is. I've been re-reading this book on the mansion, just to see if I had missed something. At several times the book mentions a 'backdoor', but I can't seem to find any direct reference to it or explanation of what it is." admitted a curious Harry.

"The back door is another cube, much like the main one, only smaller. It acts much like the main cube, but instead of opening the mansion, it only opens a passage to the mansion, but like the other cube, it can be programmed to open into six different rooms. But its main entrance is into the kitchen. Actually, I believe it's set up right now and Stewy has been using it." Godric explained. "It also has the same security spells on it as the main cube, so only someone you've okayed can open it without a serious jolt."

"So unlike the main cube, it doesn't open the mansion itself, eh?"

"Nope, and actually, if the mansion is folded at the time, the door won't open. It can be solved, and a door will grow, but it can't be opened cause it has no were to open to."

"Perfect! So am I to understand, that even if the mansion is opened, this 'backdoor' being opened in say, the room of requirement at school wouldn't cause a big magical explosion since it's only creating a passage?"

"Exactly." agreed Godric.

"And you've tested this?"

"No." answered the founder. "But by all rights and rules of the items, there should be no problem."

"Should?" asked a hesitant Harry.

"Well...I guess we could be off slightly, but I seriously doubt it." admitted the aged portrait.

Harry only grimaced, "I guess I wont test your theory then unless I have no other choice."

"That's probably wise." acknowledged the founder.

After his enlightening conversation with Godric, Harry proceeded to the kitchen where Godric had told him the door was set up.

"Hello Harry. Stewy is being happy to see you. What is it that Harry is needing?" asked the little elf.

"Hello Stewy. I'm here to collect my portable back door, unless of course you need it to get to and leave the mansion." said Harry as an afterthought.

"No, Stewy is not needing the door to get out. When the mansion is open, Stewy can use this elf travel to get to where Stewy needs to go." he assured.

"Ok then. Good to know. I'm just gonna slip out, fold it up and be back."

Before reaching for the handle, Harry turns back to Stewy and asks, "Do you know where it leads?"

"Yes Harry. It is leading to a back alley in Diagon Alley." he informed his master.

"Then I should probably change." After speaking, Harry took on the same appearance he had used the previous time, that of the Sorcerer everyone had been talking about. He thought it a good choice. If people saw him, they might be encouraged and feel a tad bit safer. He wouldn't be staying long, so he doubted word would get back to Voldemort in enough time for him to attack.

"Thanks Stewy. I'll see you when I get back." And with that, the young man walked through the door.

* * *

"Is everything ready Bellatrix?" 

"Yes Master, all is prepared. The targets' homes have been identified, and the teams have been chosen." The fear filled woman answered. Her last failure had been punished rather grievously, and despite her past favour with the dark lord, she knew full well that this next outing had better go smoothly if she wanted to remain in the land of the living.

"Good. Send out word that there are to be no attacks or revelry until after Christmas, but do not tell them why. I do not want the possibility of this leaking out. I know there is a spy among us. I am not so naive as to be fooled into thinking that the muggle loving fool's precious Order keeps popping up at precisely the wrong time by coincidence. And I am most perturbed that neither of my spies in that wretched group have been able to figure out where the old fool is getting said information. It will soon be time for me to talk to those two myself, and...motivate them to do a more thorough job." The dark, snake like figure then turned his full attention on the woman at his feet, "And let us hope, my dear, that the old fool does not show up this time. For if that were to happen, I will know full well where the informant in my ranks is located, as you and are the only two who know about it. Now be gone." he said as he motioned to the door.

Extremely thankful that she had been spared her usual punishment that night, Bellatrix beat a hasty retreat, and made her way out of her master's presence to do his bidding.

* * *

Harry quickly folded up the door and decided that he needed to buy one more gift. He had not planned on being invited to the Grangers' home for Christmas, so had not bothered to purchase anything for Hermione's parents on his venture into Hogsmeade, but seeing as how he was now going to be stopping by, he thought he should pick them up a little something as a thank you. 

Slipping out from between the two buildings, he made his way over to the Magical Menagerie, knowing exactly what he was going to purchase for the two dentists.

Some of the people who saw him stared in awe, recognizing the description of the man from earlier that summer. Harry even saw someone with a camera snap off a picture of him. He didn't mind really, figuring that nothing bad could happen as a result.

His way to the menagerie, he saw a toy in a shop window, and thought of the perfect person to give it to.

After buying it, he changed direction and made his way towards Thatcher's apothecary.

Upon entering, Harry was recognized immediately by the shop owner.

"Hello my lord. It is very good to see you again. How might I be of service to you?" asked Mr. Thatcher.

"First of all, you can promise never to call me 'my lord' again." stated Harry, slightly taken aback by the formality by which he had been addressed.

"But the Daily Prophet called you the heir of Gryffindor, and so you would have the title of 'Lord' being of a noble line. Were they mistaken?" asked the owner.

Harry sighed, "No, they weren't mistaken, and if you insist on calling me that, then I wont complain, though I much prefer Harry." he said, totally forgetting himself.

Seeing the smile on the man's face, he realized what he had let slip, and cursed himself mentally for being so stupid.

"Don't worry Mr. Potter. You're secret is safe with me. I saw your scar on our last encounter, but assuming you were in disguise for a reason, I decided not to make mention of it." the older man admitted.

"You and your daughter both." Harry admitted with a small laugh. "And I thank you for your discretion."

The shop owner smiled in return, and repeated his earlier question.

"Well," started Harry, "I was looking for a few potions ingredients actually."

"There we can help you sir." said the man jovially.

As Harry was listing off a bunch of things, that he didn't need that badly, he slipped in questions about how business was, and how his daughter was doing.

The elder man, though he never said it out loud, was touched at Harry's concern.

"To be honest, it could be going better, but I can't complain." he admitted. He went on to say that he'd been working everyday, and if business continued as they had been, he'd have enough for food, rent and Emily's first year of school, just barely, but he was pretty sure he'd have enough.

The next four ingredients, which Harry claimed to need much of, were some of the most expensive in the shop, and the shop keeper could help but wonder what a sixth year Hogwarts student could possibly need ground chimera hoof or cockatrice talons.

Harry did, in fact need to restock these ingredients, but most of them he could have found in his own garden. The reason he was doing it this way was that he had the money, he wanted to help, and he didn't think that Mr. Thatcher would accept of monetary gift from him.

"Will that be all for you today then Mr. Potter?" asked the owner, after checking first that no one else had entered.

""Yep, that's it, and please, call me Harry, Mr. Thatcher."

"Only if you call me William." the older man responded with a smile.

Harry nodded.

The man handed Harry the bag, "Have a Happy Christmas then."

"How much do I owe you?" asked Harry, a little confused as to why the man was trying to usher him out without paying.

"I told you before, anytime you need anything, just come here. You refused my money, so this is the least I can do. Your actions deserve so much more." William said honestly.

Harry realized now that his plan had backfired, and tried in vain to find a way to salvage it. "But it's Christmas, I couldn't possibly..."

"All the more reason for generosity." Mr. Thatcher countered.

Harry held up his hands in surrender, "Fine, then I'll just have to do this the hard way." he said before reaching into his robes for a bag of gold.

Placing it on the counter, he smiled and said, "Then this is a Christmas present for you and Emily. There should be more then enough there for her first year at Hogwarts. So go home and enjoy Christmas and a few days with you daughter. It's not going to be easy for her, and it would be even harder without you there." said Harry, knowing full well that this Christmas without Sirius wasn't going to be easy for him. He could only imagine how bad it would be for the poor girl after losing her mother.

"I can't accept this!" William said.

"Yes you can, and you will. This isn't charity Mr. Thatcher, this is someone who has too much, helping someone who has too little. Please take it. It would be a better gift to me then this bag of potion ingredients to know that I was able to make this first Christmas without her mother a little easier for her by allowing her father to spend more time with her then he would have been able to afford to."

Not trusting his voice, and knowing that this young man before him was sincere, he nodded in reply and put the bag under the counter.

"Oh, and one more thing," said Harry before reaching into his cloak and pulling out a shrunken item. He then wandlessly unshrunk the toy and handed it to the shop owner.

William took the stuffed bear and smiled. "She'll love it. She's a big quidditch fan." The bear was dressed in a Hogwarts quidditch uniform, and sat on a broomstick. It was also enchanted to fly around in circles when an activation word was spoken.

"Good. And a Happy Christmas to you William."

"Happy Christmas to you too Harry." said the man, much happier with life then he had been for months.

Once back out in the streets, Harry started to make his way over to the menagerie once again.

Upon entering, his ears were assaulted by many different sounds: squawking, chirping, some beautiful singing, and even some hissing voices that he was able to make out.

'_Help ussss' 'free ussss'_ called a few of them. Harry felt bad indeed for the snakes, and all the other animals for that matter. Though he was sure they were not being mistreated, he knew full well what it was like being locked in a confined space.

Heading towards the owner to make and inquiry, he spotted a creature that he had never seen before.

Before him, his a cage, sat a snake with wings protruding from it's back. Unlike other snakes, however, it was plumed and had two legs.

"It's an occamy." The shopkeeper explained. Noticing Harry's interest in the beast, he decided to pitch it for all he was worth. That lousy snake had been sitting in here for months now, and just getting grumpier by the day.

"She's marvelous." said Harry, focusing his attention on the man so that he wouldn't accidentally slip into Parstletongue.

"That she is. I've had her for about three months now, but there's been a lot of interest in her. I can't promise she'll be around much longer." The owner hadn't thought it strange that the young man had known the snake's gender, he was so happy that someone actually took interest in her at all. Occamys are known to be aggressive after all.

'He liesssss' the snake hissed, 'Shahmeran has scared off all others, no one will get her hatchlings.' 

Harry cocked an eyebrow, "I'll take her, and I'm also interested in something else."

The shopkeeper was barely listening to his request as he was so overjoyed to be getting rid of the occamy. As the older man ran into the back of the shop to fill the rest of his client's order, Harry turned to the snake and addressed it.

"_I will be taking you to a place where you and your young will be ssssafe.'_ he told her quietly.

'_You are a sssspeaker?'_ she asked in disbelief.

"_Yes I am. My name is Harry Potter."_ he admitted to the newest inhabitant of the mansion's garden.

'_My name is Shahmeran. I have heard of you, young Harry, and I am honoured to meet you. You are ssspoken of well amongssst my kind.'_ she told him.

He was about to questions her further, when the shopkeeper returned with the rest of his order.

"Where would you like these sent?" Harry was asked.

"I will take them with me now, actually." Harry said as he shrunk most of his purchase wandlessly.

Seeing the look of hesitation in the mans eyes he clarified, "Don't worry, I know better then to try and shrink anything that is living." The shopkeeper relaxed, "I don't have far to go, and I'll just levitate the whatever I can't place in my pocket."

Collecting his most recent acquisitions, he made his way out of the shop and towards an abandoned alley, he opened his back door, and entered.

After putting the presents where they would be safe until he needed them, he then brought Shah to the Garden and let her out of her cage.

"_You are free to go wherever you wisssh. I own all that you sssee. It is an enclosssed ssspace, and ssso ssshould be ideal for raisssing young. I hope that you are happy. If you wish to be releasssed, or brought sssomewhere elssse, please tell me. I did not purchassse you just to put you in another cage, no matter how gilded it may appear."_ Harry told her.

'_I sssee now that your reputation is well earned young friend of sssnakesss. I think I ssshall ssstay for a while and raissse my young. Though later in their livesss I may wisssh them to return to my homeland and sssee where they come from, but until then, I remain your ssservant.'_ she told him with a slight bow of her head.

'_Thank you.'_ Harry said, just before he was attacked by a big puff of hooting white feathers.

"Hedwig, girl, what's wrong?" Harry asked the distraught owl.

'_Ssshe is worried that you have replaced her, and that you no longer have need of her sssince ssshe hasss not ssseen you in sssuch a long time.'_ Shah told him.

"_You can underssstand her? That'sss amazzzing. Do you only underssstand owlsss? Or any birdsss?"_ asked the young man.

'_We occamy can ssspeak will all creaturesss, both magical and non. That isss why we are so prizzzed by your brewersss. I have been told that many of our organsss are usssed in potionsss for beassst ssspeaking and other sssuch thingsss.'_ Shah admitted neutrally.

"_That's horrible. I would never do that to you, though I might assssk for your help from time to time. Would you do me a favour? Would you pleassse go around the Garden and asssk how all the animalsss are doing? If there is anything I can do to improve their livesss, I ssshall be more then happy to do it."_ Harry asked.

'_I would be honoured to act asss your spokesss sssnake. Though I would sssuggest you addresss the isssue currently at hand before you lossse an ear.'_ She hissed in amusement.

Harry spent the next half an hour talking with Hedwig. Though he didn't understand her hoots, he could read his old friend well enough to know that she had missed him.

He decided to invite her to stay on his shoulder as he returned to the alley to collect his door, and so she did.

* * *

"HARRY! what are you doing here?" cried Ginny as the young man appeared in her room with a white owl on his shoulder. 

Harry turned to face the seeker, and quickly turned back around, when he noticed she had wet hair, and wasn't wearing anything but her undergarments.

"S...s...sorry." he stuttered, thoroughly embarrassed, "I just came to drop this off so you could get to the mansion easier tonight." he explained as he tried to hold his arm out behind him without turning around with the small cube in hand.

Ginny was doing her best to hide her growing grin, "It seems the shoe is on the other foot this time isn't it Mr. 'flesh coloured underwear'." she teased, "You can turn around now, I'm dressed."

Hesitantly, Harry complied and continued speaking, "This is a backdoor to the mansion. Just complete the cube and the door will open. I've pretty much already finished it for you, all you have to do is turn this side once and it will be done." he explained as he showed her what he meant.

"Thanks, this'll be easier then going to the school." she admitted.

"Oh, and I've also been doing some reading on the anti detection rings we have, and I think I might have found a way for them to emit a fixed location, so that no matter where you are, things like the clock and the map will show you as in your dorm room for instance. We can test that tonight." said Harry.

"Thanks. I'll see you tonight then. You better get out of here before Ron finds out you flashed into my room when I was in my knickers." she joked.

Harry chuckled quietly at the thought, and Hedwig hooted a soft goodbye before the two of them vanished in a puff of flame and smoke.

* * *

The rest of Harry's afternoon was spent with Horass retesting him to see if any new abilities had manifested, of if his already existing ones had fully matured. 

During the testing Harry remembered that he had still not tested Neville and Hermione's sister, and promised to do that as soon as possible so that they could start training. They would need every advantage they could get when they went up against Voldemort, and the more comfortable they were with their powers, the more efficiently they'd be able to use them.

Due to the difference in time, he had another whole day to kill before Ginny finally arrived, so he decided to pass his time reading some of his language books. He could currently read, and understand fully, English, French, Spanish and German by reading the many grammars and dictionaries he had in his library, though speaking them was a different story. He knew what the words looked like, and had read how to pronounce them, but reading how to pronounce them, and actually pronouncing them were two different things.

Midway though supper, an excited Ginny showed up, ready and raring to see what her true animagus for was.

"Is it ready?" she asked again.

Harry chuckled, "Yes Ginny, it's ready. I can see I wont be finishing supper tonight. Stewy? Could you just put the rest of this on ice, and I'll finish it later?" asked Harry, motioning to his plate.

"Yes Harry. That is being no problem." said Stewy.

Harry thanked him and shoved one last chunk of steak in his mouth before leading a hyperactive Ginny over to the library.

"I figured you could use the potion in here, and then we'd be by all the books for you to better do your research."

"Ok. Can I do it now?" she asked, barely keeping herself from jumping up and down. She had been getting herself worked up about it all day, especially since Harry's visit. She had put so much time into it and now it was about to pay off. She'd know what her real form was, and after a few more days of study, she'd finally be able to begin her transformations.

Harry handed her the potion, "Would you like to do the honours?"

She smiled and nodded.

The portrait of Godric, who had come into he library frame to watch, then instructed her, "All you have to do is pour the potion onto the parchment and wait."

She nodded again in understanding, before turning to the piece of paper, Which Harry had enchanted for this purpose earlier this morning, in front of her and poured the potion on it.

The potion slowly soaked into the parchment leaving a blank sheet of paper, before words started to appear.

Ginny was unaware of how the potion would work, and was more then a little taken aback as it had an uncanny resemblance to the diary that nearly claimed her life in her first year.

Sensing her fear, Harry tried to reassure her and took her hand for support, "Don't worry Gin. It's all part of the potion. I should have told you how it worked before. I'm sorry."

She looked over to him and gave him a weak smile, "It's ok. I'm just being dumb."

Shaking his head in disagreement he said, "No you're not. It was a traumatic experience, and you did well. If I were to all of a sudden appear in a graveyard I would probably react much, much worse then you just did."

Once all the words had finished appearing on the paper, Ginny picked it up and looked at it.

"I can make out some of these words, but not all of them." she admitted before handing the parchment over to Harry at which point, Harry let go of Ginny's hand, and took the parchment and held it with both of his.

"Ya, it's all in Latin. Let me see..." he said, before beginning to read it out loud.

"You can read all that?" she asked, not having been aware of Harry's knowledge of Latin.

"I can now." he admitted with a smile, "I've got three different Latin grammars and two Latin/English dictionaries in my library. Knowing that this spell was going to come out in Latin, and knowing how eager you were to figure out your animagus, I figured I'd learn the language to be able to read it for you." he told her never taking his eyes off the paper.

Since he didn't look up, he missed Ginny's brilliant smile directed at him for what he did for her.

"This is interesting." Harry said wide-eyed.

"What?" she asked.

"It would appear that you are a Tiassa, or a winged Panther. It goes on to list a number of abilities that it is known to have, but I've never heard of this creature before."

"It's extinct?" she asked downheartedly, knowing that to complete the transformation she would have to spend time with an actual specimen of that species.

"I doubt it. Let's start looking." he said in a hopeful tone. Just because he had never heard of it, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. After reading the list abilities of this creature, he had little doubt that if the entire species chose to remain hidden, it wouldn't be that hard for them to do.

By the end of their search, they had found four books that mentioned them in passing, two that went in to some detail, but only one that talked about their biological make up, and most of it was only assumptions bases on the author's knowledge of large cats such as panthers, tigers, pumas and the like, and his knowledge of bats as the only mundane winged mammal. It then gets into comparisons with the different types of Pegassi, Gryphons and other winged magical creatures, focusing primarily on Manticores, as their wings and body structure are the most similar to that of the Tiassa.

All in all, this creature is/was more elusive then the Phoenix. The reason that they're not sure of their continued existence was that there hadn't been a sighting of them in over 800 years and he had read that statistic in a self-updating book. To say Ginny was disheartened was an understatement.

"How am I supposed to change into this creature if I can't find one?" she asked.

"Well, you can change into it without another around, and not even having the exact skeletal and muscular systems, as with me and my Phoenix form. The main problem will be when it comes time to cement that form in your mind as your own. If you are unable to do that last phase of the initial transformation process, you just wont be able to hold the form indefinitely and you wont feel totally comfortable in that form either. But it's still doable." he tried to assure her. "Why don't you keep studying it, and I'll go see what I can find out. I have a contacts in the animal world, maybe they know of where one or two of them can be found."

"You do?" she asked, with a perplexed look on her face.

"I have Fawkes I can ask, and there are also the snakes around both here and in the forbidden forest. And speaking of the forest, I can ask the Arachnid, or maybe even the centaurs, though I hesitate to approach them." he admitted.

"Um...Harry?" commented Godric.

"Yes?"

"Well...when I first built the mansion, and the Garden, I can't be sure mind you, but I think I might have had a Tiassa or two in there. As a portrait my memory isn't what it used to be, but I could swear that I did."

Harry and Ginny were shocked. 'A Tiassa? Here in my Garden? Heck...it could be anywhere in my house for that matter.' thought Harry.

"How did you manage that?" Harry asked. "A creature with that much intelligence and ability couldn't be coerced into coming here, it would have had to want to do it out of it's own free will!"

"I offered it a lush hunting ground with ample game. I wanted to create the most balanced ecosystem possible. I omitted many of the darker creatures, obviously, but in doing that I cut out many of the predators. With a reduced number of predators to keep the other species in check, I needed something to re-establish the balance. So I asked a Tiassa and his mate. The only problem is that I can't remember if they agreed or not."

"You could talk to them?" asked Ginny.

"Yes, I was a magical beast speaker in my lifetime. That's how I got so many of them to willingly come and live here as a gift to my daughter. She simply adored animals." he recalled, smiling at the memory.

"Alright then. Ginny, read. I'll go out and see what I can find." Harry told her.

"Harry. Wait a sec. You keep talking about the abilities of this creature, just what are you talking about? What kind of abilities?" asked a curious Ginny.

"If you read the books yourself, you'll know." he teased her mischievously, "But since patience is not one of your greater virtues, I'll tell you. Along with the Phoenix, Nundu and Basilisk, this is probably the most powerful magical creature around. According to what I've read, it can melt into shadows, almost becoming one itself. It has infravision, so instead of seeing well at low light, it actually sees heat signatures of the things around it. Like the phoenix' fire travel, it has a similar ability called 'smoke travel' where instead of disappearing in a burst of flame, it disappears in a burst of smoke. And it's also telepathic. And that is aside from its large draconian wings which also gives it the ability to fly."

"That explains a bit." she said.

"How so?" Harry inquired.

"When we were testing me for magical abilities, my test for Telepathy came back negative. It must have been coming from my latent animagus form. That's the only thing I can think of to explain it." she explained.

"That's odd. I couldn't fire travel or anything like that until I transformed. I wonder why that is?" he thought out loud.

"Don't know. But I should get back to reading, and you should go and find me a Tiassa to spend a few nights with." she ordered him playfully.

"Yes Ma'am." Harry answered with a salute, before leaving the room.

Godric smiled a knowing smile to himself as he watched his heir interact with the young lady.

* * *

**AN:** Please read and review. 

Farfumsane.


	36. Happy Christmas Harry, Part I

**Disclaimer: **I enjoy writing, but it is a pass time that I get nothing for. Most of this stuff belongs to JK Rowling, and what little bit came from my mind isn't worth starting a career over.

**Chap 35: Merry Christmas Harry (Part I).**

Harry entered the dinning hall in high spirits. "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good morning!" he proclaimed upon entering.

"Someone's in a good mood today. The question is: is that because it's Christmas? Or because he was able to sleep in till 11 for a change?" asked Remus jokingly.

"Happy Christmas to you too Harry." replied Tonks, ignoring her boyfriend's attempt at humour.

Admitting his defeat, Remus chose to let his failed attempt at humour die. "What are your plans for the day, cub?" he then inquired.

"Well...Now that I've washed every last grain of sand out of my hair, I'll be heading over to Hogwarts to visit Dobby and Winky, then I'm off to the Weasleys' for breakfast. Man I love this mansion. I still have about seven hours to kill before I have to be at the Weasleys, which gives me time do do some reading."

In retaliation to the washroom prank that Harry pulled on the two of them yesterday, Remus had rigged his showerhead to start pouring out sand midway through his shower. Harry hadn't been overly impressed, though he could appreciate a good prank, and this one wasn't bad.

"Reading? On Christmas day? Well...at least you enjoyed your shower this morning." said a grinning Tonks.

"I probably would have liked it a lot more had I not been rinsing my mouth out at the time, but what can you do." Harry admitted to the laughing of the other two.

"Do you two have any special plans today?" asked Harry, suggestively raising his eyebrows repeatedly.

Tonks shook her head, but Harry caught Remus' blush before trying to shake his head in the negative as well.

"Just a quick trip to my parents for lunch, and then back here for dinner with you." said Tonks. "I'm draggin Remus along so he doesn't spend the day alone."

"I'm sure convincing him to spend time with you was tough." Harry said sarcastically with a wink.

"Harder then you'd think." muttered Tonks dejectiedly.

"I'm more then happy to spend time with you...I just didn't really wanted to meet your parents." Remus admitted with a slight cringe.

"You've already met them!" said an exasperated Tonks, "I don't see what the issue is here."

"I met them BEFORE we started seeing each other. I'm just worried about what they'll say." admitted Remus.

"We already know that they like you. What's the problem?"

It was obvious to Harry that this wasn't the first time they had discussed this particualr topic.

"Well, first of all I'm almost a decade older then you, and if I had a daughter, I honestly don't know how wild I'd be about that myself. Not to mention the little problem I have once a month. That was enough to drive my own parents away! I cringe to think how yours will react." admitted the graying marauder, trying to hold back the onslaught of emotions that that statment brought with it.

Tonks now saw the root of the problem. It wasn't the age, it was the werewolf. It was the fact that most people had never stuck with him after they found out, and the few that had were now dead. She placed a soothing hand on his arm.

"Remus, I don't care about any of that, and they wont either. If they do, then I'll just tell them what to do with their opinion. It wouldn't be the first time." she said with a small smile which he returned.

Harry, who had been watching the scene play out, decided to show his support too, and placed his hand on the wolf's sagging shoulder. "You're a good man, Moony. Despite your curse, you have many friends, and people who accept you for who you are, not what you are. Just ask any student at Hogwarts and they'll tell you that you're still the best DADA professor they've ever had, and that's not just because of what you taught, but how you taught." assured Harry.

"Thanks guys." said Remus as he pulled Tonks into a hug.

"Let's lift this somber mood. I vote we exchange presents now." Harry decreed with childish enthusiasm which brought a smile to the face of the two adults present.

Harry promptly picked up a wrapped parcel from under the tree that they had set up in the dining hall and handed it to Tonks, "Here you go." he said with a smile.

Tonks tore into the box with the excitement of a first year. When she lifted the lid she gasped, "Nice!" she exclaimed in both disbelieve as she pulled out a pair of dragon hide combat style boots. They were a dark brown, and resembled scaled leather.

"Thanks Harry! These are amazing! They don't match any of my evening gowns, but I think I might be able to fit them in to my overly conservative wardrobe." she said cheekily.

"That doesn't really surprise me, but I know for a fact that they'll match this." Harry replied with a grin as he picked up another gift and handed it to her.

She had a slightly confused look on her face, but took the package anyways, and opened it. Inside, she found a matching battle robe and dueling gloves.

"Harry! I can't accept all this. This is way too much." said Tonks.

Remus, who had been watching the woman he loved act like a 10 year old, and enjoying the show, spoke up, "Tonks, I'm pretty sure Harry's doing this for you because he cares. He has more then enough money to afford it, trust me. If I were you I'd accept this gift in the spirit it was given: concern for your well being, and love."

Harry smiled, "Listen to the man. He knows what he's talking about every now and then." Which earned him a soft punch in the shoulder from the werewolf.

"Fine." a defeated, but very happy, Tonks conceded before pulling Harry into a hug, "Thanks Harry."

"You're welcome. Now, follow me." Harry said as he started to move towards the door.

"Not so fast mister. You have to open your first." Remus called.

"Oh. I forgot about that part." admitted Harry with a sheepish grin as he was handed a large bag by Tonks.

Harry opened the gift bag and saw a wide array of shirts that could only have been bought by the metamorph. There were shirts from the Screaming Banshees, the Weird Sisters, the Horn Tails, and even Cloak and Dagger. Under the shirt was a pair of ripped jeans and five wireless cubes.

Wireless cubes were along the same lines as muggle CDs. These small cubes could be inserted into any Wizarding Wireless and play the information magically stored there on. Each cube had the symbol of the band engraved on them so that the owner could tell which cube was which.

"I figured that if you were gonna wear the gear, you should know the music." Tonks explained with a smile.

"Thanks Tonks." he said honestly.

"And here's mine. Happy Christmas Harry." said Remus as he handed him the present.

Harry opened it to reveal a brand new Wizarding Wireless. "Thanks Moony."

"I hope you enjoy it."

"Alright, now it's your turn Moony. Follow me."

Harry led them to one of the unused bedrooms, and stopped in front of a very ornate armoire.

"Happy Christmas Moony."

Remus opened the armoire and was startled by what he saw within. There were 12 new outfits of good quality and make, three sets of battle robes, one of which matched Tonks, 3 pairs of boots and two sets of very formal robes.

"Harry! This is too much...Oh never mind. Thanks cub." said the werewolf as he pulled his young charge into a strong embrace.

"You're welcome." Then turning to Tonks, Harry spoke, "I almost forgot. As you can see, Remus has some very nice robes. I dont' know exactly where he's gonna wear them to," Harry said suggestfully, " but I know he'll need an escort, so this is for you as well." finished the young man as he handed her an envelope.

Inside, Tonks found a gift certificate for an undisclosed amount at Madam Malkins.

"That should be enough for two sets of formal robes. I would have bought them for you myself, however I know better then to get in the way of a girl and her shopping." Harry teased.

"You got that right!" Remus agreed.

Tonks ended up smacking them both playfully in retaliation, before all three made their way out of the room.

* * *

An hour later, Harry entered the kitchen where Stewy was getting things ready for the feast that Harry and his guests would be having Christmas evening. It wouldn't be taking place til the next night in the trunk, but Stewy wanted to make sure that he had everything prepared. 

"Stewy? Would you please accompany me?" Harry asked.

"Of course Harry." replied Stewy before casting a quick cooling charm on all the food that was spread out over the counter so that it would keep until he returned, and turned back towards his master.

"Thank you. Please take my hand." Harry instructed, extending his hand to the elf.

Stewy took it, and they were instantly transported to Godric's office in Hogwarts.

With a wave of his hand, Harry conjured a small table and four small matching chairs.

"Would you please take a seat Stewy?"

With a nod, Stewy sat in the chair closest to the one he thought his master would choose.

"Dobby? Winky?" Harry called.

A moment later, two elves appeared with small poofs.

"HARRY POTTER! It is being so good to see you Harry Potter. Happy Christmas!" exclaimed an excited Dobby as he pulled out a small package from his colourful shirt.

"Thank you Dobby, and a Happy Christmas to you too." Hary responded with a smile. Then turning to the other elf, who had remained quiet since her arrival, he said, "And a very happy Christmas to you too Winky."

The small elf just smiled and curtsied.

Harry then addressed both of them, "Would you mind joining Stewy and I for tea? I have a few things I would like to talk to you all about."

The both nodded enthusiastically and sat themselves, as did Harry. Firstly Harry opened his present from Dobby to find a pair of mismatching, yet very colourful socks with house elf faces on one, and what appeared to be the face of a wizard with messy black hair.

"Thank you Dobby. They're great." Harry said with a smile, causing Dobby to beam.

"Now, the reason I have asked you to join me today is three fold. First of all, I'd like to know if you three would be willing to sit with me and talk to me about what it's like to be a house elf from each or your points of view." he said before explaining his reasons, "Stewy, you are an elf who has served a family who you care for, they have treated you well, and you like what you do.

"Winky, I don't want to make assumptions on how your last master treated you, it's not my place, but the fact that you were let go for no succeeding in illegally hiding his son from the proper justices leaves me to believe you weren't treated with much respect. I'd like to talk to you about what it's like to be a house elf who has been given clothes against her will.

"And Dobby, I know that you were treated poorly by your last master, and that you wanted your freedom, so I would like to talk to you about what it's like to finally be free after wishing for it for so long. If none of you want to do this, I'll understand and wont force you." he explained, looking at Stewy in particular as he was the elf currently in his employ, "But I think that what I can learn from this will help house elves everywhere. I hope that when people who own house elves read it, that they begin to understand your people a little bit better, and are able to then treat you the way you want to be treated. Will you do it?" Harry asked.

"HARRY POTTER IS THE GREATEST WIZARD OF ALL TIME. HE IS CARING FOR ALL OF THE HOUSE ELFS AND WANTING TO MAKE THEM ALL HAPPY! DOBBY IS PROUD TO BE ABLE TO HELP SUCH A NOBLE, KIND, CARING, AND COMPASSIONATE WIZARD LIKE HARRY POTTER!" the small elf scream as he launched himself over the table to embrace Harry.

Harry only chuckled, shook his head and patted the elf on the back, "It's not my idea actually. It was Stewys."

"Stewy does not remember saying anything about this to Harry Potter, sir. Why is Harry saying that it is Stewy's idea?" Stewy asked.

"Because, Stewy, it was you who pointed out that I didn't understand you, and you were right. The problem is that no wizard or witch has ever taken the time to try, and have only been imposing their beliefs and wants onto you without your consent. Both good at bad for that matter. Masters like the Malfoys who abuse you, or people thinking their doing a good thing, like Hermione, to help you. But the truth is neither really know what you want." Harry explained as Dobby took his seat again.

"Harry Potter wants Winky to help? But Winky is a bad elf. Winky does not deserve to help." she said quietly, not making eye contact.

Harry put a comforting hand on Winky's shoulder and tried to explain again, "Winky, I don't think you are a bad elf, and to tell you the truth, I don't even know why you think you are. I can guess, but that's the best I can do. Humans don't understand many things about your kind, but I want to, and for that I need your help. For example, is there anyway that you can stop being a bad elf?" Harry asked honestly.

Winky looked up at the young man, "There is a way that Winky can get her honour back. Winky would have to find a new master and bond with him, and work for him for one year without being bad again, and then Winky would be a good elf again. But no one ever wants to take in a bad elf, so the bad elf is usually staying a bad elf until the day they are dead." she explained.

"That is good to know Winky. See? I had no idea. Your answer actually brings me to our second order of business with you today." he said with a smile, taking his hand of the should of the elf and sitting back in his chair comfortably, "I have ask the Headmaster, and have gotten his permission, to offer you two jobs...working for me."

"**HARRY POTTER WANTS DOBBY TO WORK FOR HIM. IT IS BEING A GREAT HONOUR**..." Dobby started his praise even louder then the last time, but now, Harry was ready for it, and quickly cast a wandless silencing charm on him.

"I'm sorry for that Dobby," he said with a smile, "But you're getting a little too loud for such an early hour of the morning." explained Harry.

It was, after all, only about 4:30 am at Hogwarts where they were currently meeting. Harry had talked to Stewy a few nights prior to find out elves sleeping patterns so that he could visit them when they weren't overly busy, but still awake. Apparently, an elf only needs approximately four hours sleep a night, so they frequently went to sleep about midnight, or 1 am, depending on their master's schedule, and awoke at 4 or 5 to prepare for the day. At Hogwarts, however, since most of the cleaning took place at night, the elves worked in two shifts. Half slept from midnight til 4, and were in charge of preparing breakfast, and the other half slept from 6 to 10, to get up in time to help with lunch. It was an interesting schedule.

As a result, Harry decided to show up at 4:30 that morning, cause then, no matter what shift Dobby and Winky were on, they'd be up, and probably not too busy as it would either be at the tale end of their shift, or right at the beginning. Not to mention it was the middle of the Christmas holidays, and there wasn't much to do.

"It is your choice, and I assure you that you would each have different tasks to accomplish so you will always have soemthing to do. Dobby, I know that you like your freedom, and I would never ask you to give that up, so I'm willing to pay you twice as much as what you're making here at Hogwarts to come and work for me. What do you say?" Harry told him, before taking off the silencing charm to let Dobby answer.

"Dobby accepts! Dobby is being honoured to be working for Harry Potter sir." the elf proclaimed.

Then, turning to Winky, "For you, Winky, I would like you to ask you to become one of my house elves, and bind yourself to me for one year. After which time, we'll sit down and talk again and decide what you would like to do. Do you accept?"

With tears forming in her eyes, "But Winky is a bad elf. Winky doesn't deserve to work for Harry Potter."

"Winky, You made one mistake, and I would like to give you a chance to make up for it. As I said, if after a year things aren't going well and you want to leave, then we will discuss our arrangement. If you feel you still don't want to work with me, I will release you, but if you like it, then we'll talk about extending your service. Would you like that?"

Winky, with tears flowing rather freely, nodded her head in the affirmative. Harry knew by looking at her that this was the best Christmas present anyone could have ever given her.

"Excellent!" Harry then reached into his sleeve and pulled out his wand, "I have two spells. The first I will cast on you, Dobby is to loosely bind you to me, not permanently, and can be severed at any time by either party. It will allow you to hear me when I call, no matter where I am, and allow you to come directly to my side if I desire it."

Dobby nodded in agreement, and Harry silently cast the spell. Dobby felt the bond strengthen between himself and his master. Unbeknownst to Harry, Dobby was already bound to Harry with the elven equvilent of a life debt, as it had been Harry who saved him from that wretched home he served before. This new binding only made it more official, and Dobby couldn't be happier.

Turning to Winky, Harry spoke again, "And for you, my friend, I will cast the traditional binding spell. If I may?"

Winky wiped her teary eyes, stood up and then straightened her dress as best she could. She then nodded to her new master to show her readiness.

Harry then cast the binding spell silently, but still with his wand, binding Winky to him and his line for as long as she lives unless she was released from service.

After he concluded, Harry then took out two packages.

"The third reason I'm here, which was actually dependant you your acceptance of the second, was to give you your new uniforms." he told them, handing them to his two newest employees.

Dobby looked slightly down hearted at first at finding out that he'd have a uniform and could no longer chose his own clothes to where, but when saw his new uniform, all his worried fled as he saw the rainbow coloured jacket and mismatching socks.

"Those socks aren't part of the uniform, but I thought you might like them when I saw them." Harry told him, "I don't care what else you where, but that jacket, that has the Potter crest on it, is your uniform and you must wear it when working."

Winky had opened parcel and had now removed her uniform from the package. It was similar to Stewy's in colour and style, but clearly appeared to be a robe for a female.

"Do you like it?" asked Harry tentatively.

Winky looked up with new tears in her eyes, "It is being perfect, Master. Winky does not deserve..."

Harry held up his hand and spoke, "Nonsense! You are an elf of house Potter, and you will be dressed accordingly. Understood?" asked Harry sternly, but with a smile, "And I would prefer it if you called me Harry, or Harry Potter, but I will not be upset if you forget from time to time."

Winky smiled back and nodded, hugging her new uniform close to her body.

"Good. Now, we must talk duties. Stewy, your main responsibility will be to maintain and keep Potter Mansion. Winky, your responsibility is to keep and maintain the Marauder Mansion at 12 Grimmauld place. You are to keep it clean, and cook for whomever is there. As it is currently the head quarters of the order of the phoenix there are always people coming and going, so you will have the most work to do." he told her, causing her to smile brightly in anticipation, "Dobby, you are to be my personal house elf. If I need anything, I will call you, at formal functions, you will be the head server. But most of all, you three are my friends. If you ever have any questions or suggestions, please come and ask me." Harry assured them with an inviting smile.

"Most importantly though, is that you are NOT to punish yourself. Ever. If you have done something that you think deserves punishment, you are to come to me and we will talk about it. Understood?"

All three nodded.

"Good. Now, you start today, and for your first task, you are to go to Potter Mansion, as soon as you have collected your things here, settle in, and Stewy will then give you a full tour of both Potter Mansion and Marauder Mansion so that you can get an idea of what will need to be done. The rest of the day you will spend together having a merry Christmas. Tomorrow help Stewy with Christmas dinner, which you will be joining us for, and then the day after you can start your standard usual tasks."

The three of them didn't look to happy about that. Harry realized that resting was against their nature, and decided on a compromise.

"Alright, how bout this: Today you can do whatever you like. If that is cleaning, then clean, cooking then cook, but tomorrow in the mansion, you spent as a family. Do things together, and talk with each other while you prepare the dinner and then that night you will join us for dinner and spent at least some of your time with us in conversation. Is that better?"

The three nodded, much happier with that.

Harry spend the next hour talking and discussing some of the things they would have to do. He found that when they sat and talked, they like talking about work, and task that they not only already accomplished, but looked forward to doing. For example, Winky was talking about how she looked forward to being able to have her own home to dust once again. Harry couldn't relate, but he was starting to understand.

After their chit-chat, Harry bid them a good day, and then made his way to his next destination.

* * *

Harry soon appeared in the fireplace in the Weasley home. He had only taken one step towards the kitchen, wondering why it was so quiet, when Mrs. Weasley entered the room. 

"Happy Christmas Harry dear. You're here early." she commented, "Everyone should start coming down in an hour or so.

Harry looked down at his watch, "Are you telling me Ron's not up yet? It's Christmas!"

"Oh, the kids never get up before 8 on Christmas day. We used to wake them early to get through the presents before breakfast, but then it became such a hassle that we decided to open the presents after breakfast." she explained.

"It's 7am! He's been waking me up at 6 every Christmas that I'm known him!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief, "I'll be right back, Mrs. Weasley. Ron has some explaining to do."

Harry slipped into his kneazle form as soon as he was out of sight, and stealthfully mad his way to Ron's room. He saw that it was closed, and remembered how bad it squeaked, so he silently flashed to the other side of the barrier, never changing out if his Kneazle form.

On the bed, the snoring lump that was Ronald Weasley was slumbering peacefully, completely unaware of the rude awakening he was about to receive.

'Oh Ron. Pay back is always so amusing.' Harry thought to himself before slipping back into his human form and getting to work.

It took Harry a good 10 minutes to finish preparing his prank, but now that it was ready to be sprung, he realized that it was way to good for him to be the only one to enjoy it, so he flashed downstairs.

"Mrs. Weasley?"

"Yes Harry dear?" she responded without looking up from the bowl she was mixing.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come and watch what I have planned for Ron to pay him back for all his early Christmas morning wake ups." he asked.

Mrs. Weasley, who hadn't been part of a good prank since the summer when she helped the boys with their plans for Dean, was quite anxious to see what her all but adopted son was capable of.

"I'd love to Harry. Let's go." she answered, as she made her way to the stairs.

"Wait a second Mrs. Weasley. We can't warn him. I'll bring us up. You have to promise not to make a sound, and I promise I'll explain how I did it after we get him. Ok?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.

Harry saw the lack of hesitation in her eyes as she promptly reached out and took his hand. She had always been so supportive, and he wondered if she knew how much it meant to him.

"Thank you." he whispered.

"Nonsense Harry dear, I love watching a good prank." she said smiling.

"No...thank you for trusting me. You've always been such a great support. I don't know if I ever told you how much I appreciate it, or how much it meant to me to see you there during my first task...as my family." Harry told her.

Her eyes watered for this poor boy who had become a son to in everyway but blood, "Harry, you're as much a part of this family as Ron is. Now come on. We better get up there before he wakes up and ruins it."

Harry nodded with a grin on his face and flashed both of them to Ron's room.

Smiling wildly, Harry yelled, "RON! GET UP QUICK! UMBRIDGE IS COMING!"

"Umbridge!" a started, half asleep, Ron excalimed before he threw his covers of and quickly lifted his head hitting the bull's eye hovering above him, which release the first spell.

Reeling from the pain in his fore head after hitting the _metal_ bullseye, he groaned loudly and dropped his head back down into what used to be his pillow, which had been turned into a large cream pie. Hitting the cream pie, however triggered the next in the series of spells.

With the Bull's eye now gone, the bed shot up, much like a muggle hide-a-bed and stopping when it became vertical. Unfortunately, the occupant of the bed, who had been screaming since the unexpected movement began, kept on going thanks to momentum, and ended up landing face first in a large bathtub of molasses. He tried to get up, but ended up slipping in the goopy substance, and landing on his back. He finally succeeded and stood in the tub staring daggers at his best friend and mother who were holding each other up from laughing so hard.

The screaming had woken people, and Ginny arrived just in time to see Ron try to lunge at Harry, but instead trip over the booby trap that had been planted outside of the tub, dropping a generous supply of icing sugar on the sticky boy followed by one small cherry which landed, and stayed, on his whip creamed head.

Thinking it was now truly over, he never though to look for the port key towel that Harry had laid on the floor in front of him, so just as Ron was about to throttle Harry, he disappeared.

* * *

It was Christmas morning at the Granger home, and as with every Christmas morning, the girls had woken up and ran into their parents room, dragged them out of bed and down to the living room to open their presents. 

They started with their stockings and then moved on to the bigger items. All three girls had been enjoying their time with their parents, and had been about half way though opening their presents when a seething, icing sugared form of the young Ronald Weasley with a cherry on top appeared in the middle of their living room.

Quickly taking in his surroundings, Ron went form angry to thoroughly embarrassed in half a heart beat. He was, after all, only wearing boxers, whip cream, molasses, icing sugar and a cherry.

He tried in vain to cover up, but to no avail. He quickly gave up, smiled sheepishly and waved before he disappeared once again, leaving a mortified Hermione, a hysterical Athena and Demeter and two extremely confused dentists in his wake.

* * *

Mrs. Weasley had been laughing too hard to notice that her son was no longer in the room, but Ginny, who was laughing quite heartily herself, did. 

"Where'd he go?" the young redhead asked.

"Oh, he'll be back soon enough. I just sent him somewhere that should frighten him utterly and completely if he figures out werhe he is." Harry said slyly.

"What?" asked a shocked Mrs. Weasley finally noticing Ron's absence, "Where did you send him?"

"To Hermione's." Harry said with an evil grin.

"HARRY! YOU DIDN'T!" cried Ginny, before breaking down into gales of uncontrollable laughter.

"You bring him back here at once young man! Using an illegal portkey in a prank, and sending him to his girlfriends covered in...wearing..." but that's about as far as Mrs. Weasley got before she too broke down and started laughing again in full force.

Harry was about to explain that they wouldn't have to wait long, but before he could, Ron could be heard yelling from the kitchen.

"POTTER YOU'RE A DEAD MAN! YOU'LL SOON BE THE BOY-WHO-LIVED-TO-BE-KILLED-BY-HIS-PRANKED-FRIEND!"

Harry, who had been doing quite well up until now, lost his composure as well, and started laughing as he heard Ron, who had been in the process of running up the stairs, slip and land hard, before falling down several molasses covered steps.

When Ron finally did make it back to his room, he saw not only Harry, his parents and Ginny, but it would appear that the twins had arrived in the mean time and even his dad had come to see what all the commotion was about.

"Harry..." asked Fred seeing the condition their little brother was in when he entered the room.

"...Did you do this?" finished George with a look of admiration.

Ron, not caring who was present, lunged at Harry, intent on paying him back for this morning's prank.

Harry was doing his best to escape his dusty, slippery friend, while Ginny and Molly explained to the twins and Arthur the fullness of the prank. By the end of a very detailed explination, the two trouble makers and their father were laughing as much at the story as at watching Ron slip and slide around the room chasing Harry.

Harry, not wanting to get caught, decided that he trusted those people present enough to use some of his powers to evade his pursuer, and flashed to the other side of the room.

"THAT'S CHEATING!" yelled Ron as he pointed a dripping, accusing finger at the boy across the room.

"But we're even now." Harry answered.

Ron didn't wait for an explanation as to what Harry meant by this and went after his best mate again only to grasp at thin air and fall flat on his face, as Harry had flashed, once again, to the other side of the room.

"How do you figure." grumbled a furious Ron, as he pulled himself up off the floor.

"For the last five years you've been waking me up at an ungodly hour EVERY Christmas morning, and now I find out that you never get up early on Christmas, and you were only using it as an excuse to attack me one morning a year. Think of this as payback for that. I think we're even." Harry explained.

Ron paused slightly and grinned before scowling again, "Had you stopped at the icing sugar I would have agreed with you...but THEN you sent me to Hermione's, AND THEY WERE ALL AWAKE IN THE LIVING ROOM OPENING THEIR PRESENTS, **WITH THEIR PARENTS!"**

"Oh my." muttered his mother before she started laughing again.

Actually, she wasn't the only one. Everyone in the room, save Ron, were now keeled over and laughing violently at the though of a molasses covered Ron with a cherry on top standing in front of his girlfriend and her parents.

"Oh...(laugh)...poor Hermione!...(laugh)" weezed out Ginny.

"...She's never...(laugh)...gonna be able to live this down!" finished Harry.

At this point, even Ron was laughing, thinking about his poor girlfriend and the abuse her two sisters, Athena especially, were probably subjecting her to at this very moment.

Seeing his friend laughing, Harry thought this would be a good time for a peace offering, so he waved his hand and wandlessly cleaned Ron up.

"Sorry mate, I really didn't think any of them would be down this early. It was more to worry you about where you were. Hermione had told me wear she lived other day so that I could show up for lunch today without any problems. So I flashed over their this morning really early to make sure I had gotten the co-ordinates right. I really am sorry about that." Harry admitted.

"Sorry?..." started Fred.

"...Why would you be sorry?" finished George.

"That was brilliant!" exclaimed both of them in unison.

"Harry?" asked a now concerned looking Arthur Weasley, "Was that a portkey? Cause if it was, the ministry can trace it, and you'll probably be in a lot of trouble. Not to mention all the apparating you;ve been doing."

Harry smiled, "That was an untraceable, timed, return portkey. I found it in one of the old book I have in my library. It used to be used by spies to gain information. They are untraceable by any means, but their draw back is that they only last for 30 seconds. So don't worry, no one knows I've done this." Harry assured them, and they all seemed to calm at his words.

"And as for the apparating, I haven't apparated once today." Harry told them. Seeing the confused looks on all but two of the Weasley's present, Harry explained, "I trust you all enough that I will tell you, but you must all promise that this will stay bewteen us. Do I have your word?"

Mr. Weasley hesitantly nodded in agreement, not liking to promise anything without knowing the facts behind it, but not seeing any other choice. The twins and Mrs. Weasley nodded in agrement as well, though with much less hesitation.

"It's one of my animagus' abilities." he admitted, "Some of the others are being able to lift much more then my weight, healing tears, and a darn good singing voice. he told them with a grin."

"Harry?" started Mr. Weasley, "are you saying taht you're a..."

Before Arthur could finish his sentence, however, Harry had transformed into a beautiful...

"PHOENIX!" cried Mrs. Weasley and her twin boys in unison.

Harry then let out a few notes, bringing smiles to everyone present. They probably would have all stayed there too, had Mrs. Weasley not decided to get them all moving.

"Well then, I guess it's breakfast time, them presents. Everyone downstairs!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley as she shooed all but Harry and Ron out of the room. 

"You know we're far from even right?" asked Ron as he pulled on a pair of pants.

"I figured as much." the now human Harry agreed with a grin, "But it was totally worth it. The only problem is that I have a feeling I'm gonna have to make an apology or two this afternoon when I head over there now."

"THAT might be worth watching." chuckled Ron as he patted his friend on the back and dragged him downstairs.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks again for reading and keep the reviews-a-comin! 

Farfumsane


	37. Happy Christmas Harry, Part II

**Disclaimer: **

**There once was a student named 'Sane  
Far fum it, though some would exclaim.  
No money he made  
Nor fame was he paid  
To share the strange things in his brain.**

**Chap 36: Happy Christmas Harry! (Part II)**

During breakfast, where Ron could be seen avoiding the whip cream topping for the waffles Mrs. Weasley had made, the last of the Weasley's arrived.

Bill and Charlie couldn't keep from laughing at their little brother, as the twins and Ginny took it upon themselves to recount, in great detail, the events of that morning. Ron was not amused.

After everyone had eaten, and the laughter had died down, the group made their way into the living room.

As per their yearly tradition, Bill made his way over to the tree and started to randomly hand out presents. As a person received one, they opened it, and squeals of delight, and exclamations of happiness could me heard from different people at different times as they tore into the gifts they had received.

"Ha ha, Ginny." Ron said sarcastically as he held up a wand polishing kit. Harry and Ginny burst into laughter and were forced to recount the events that took place in the Great Hall earlier that year.

"What is this? Pick on Ron day?" he yelled in mock frustration over the laugher that had engulfed the room.

Ginny had gotten a couple of muggle diaries from Bill and had smiled and thanked him. Harry was surprised, but she explained that she had always kept a diary, and she wasn't about to let Tom ruin something like that for her. The only thing she had changed about her habit, was that she now only used muggle ones, and when at school she cast locking charms on them and made them password protected.

Ron had gotten a new Cannons poster from Bill, which he was over the moon about.

"It's a post signing poster. The player on it has yet to be announced publicly, they've released her team merchandise to start a stir about wanting to know who she is."

Ron's mouth was still agape and it was obvious that he recognized the person.

"Who is it Ron?" asked a now curious Harry.

"It's Angelina! She's a CANON!" Ron said in awe and disbelief as he turned the poster around for all to see.

"And she didn't..." started surprised Fred

"...tell us?" ended and equally shocked George.

"She wouldn't have." explained Charlie. "She's not aloud to mention it to anyone until it's announced officially. It's part of her wizarding contract with the team."

Bill then explained to a confused Harry that a wizarding contract is much like a wizarding oath, though slightly less severe in its punishment, and on a much small scale.

'So basically like the contract I got everyone in the DA to sign?' Harry asked Ginny mentally.

_Exactly_. She responded.

Harry had hid all of his at the back early that morning before anyone was up. Ginny noted the look of anticipation on his face as the pile began to dwindle, and Bill got closer to the back of the stack.

"Whatcha got there Harry?" asked Ginny, trying to figure out why he was so excited.

Harry held up his green Weasley jumper with a radiant smile.

"It's just a jumper from mum." said Ron, a piece of his old, dense self shining through for a moment. To his credit, he did look guilty after he said it, but before he could apologize, Harry spoke.

"No Ron. It's not just a jumper. This was my first ever Christmas present. And every year I look forward to it." then he turned to Mrs. Weasley, "Thank you so much. It's the little things like this that was talking about this morning." Then he got up and gave her a hug of thanks.

The reference to that mornings conversation was lost on everyone present except Molly herself, who was trying very hard not to cry. 'He's had such a hard life.' she thought as she hugged him tightly, 'I just hope he's happy now.'

_He is. Much, much happier._ A small voice in her head assured her.

She looked around to see if she could find the source, but only saw all of her children, and her husband smiling at her.

Harry sat down again as Bill finally got to the bottom of the pile.

"What are these?" he asked, noticing the similar wrapping paper,

"Let me see." said Ron as he got up and made his way over. "That's Harry's writing." he stated, as he shot him an accusatory glare.

"Ya, but before you open them, I want you to promise something." he said. "You can't get mad, or complain. I'm giving these gifts cause I care about you, and I wanted you to have them. Most of them are practical and could very well save your life, so please, for me, just take them in the spirit they are given." he asked, using Remus' words.

Most of them looked at Harry rather apprehensively, aside from the twins and Ginny who agreed right away. Eventually, all of them did too, even Ron, who despite his recently improved personality, still had some personal poverty issues to work through, though definitely not as many as before.

The first two identical packages were for Mr. & Mrs. Weasley.

As they opened them, Harry explained, "I know that you're both in the Order, and I want you to have these to make me feel better knowing that you are as well protected as possible when you're out there."

Mr. Weasley had opened his first, and pulled out its contents for all to see: a set of black battle robe with a large Weasley crest covering the heart.

"They'll protect you from most curses and hexes. Their charmed to be light weight and have a wand holster in each sleeve. I'm sure I'm talking for everyone in the room when I say we want you to come back from every battle, and if I can actually use some of what Sirius left me to help accomplish that, them I'll be damned if I don't." said Harry.

"Thank you Harry." said an almost speechless Arthur, "They're magnificent. Thank you very much." Not sure what to say after that, he smiled, and kept silent, watching his teary eyed wife.

"Thank you so much Harry dear. We promise we'll be as careful as possible." She said. She wanted to protest at the cost, but hearing his explanation, and knowing that it was the memory of Sirius that inspired him to do this, she decided that sometimes one needs to swallow their pride and accept help.

Next was Charlie, who also received a set of battle robes, though these had a more practical, every day cut to them, and did not display the Weasley crest.

"I figured you could use them for your classes as well as fighting. They're fire, acid, water and stain resistant, durable to both magic and muscle, lightweight and flexible. Ideal for handling Hippogriffs or Death eaters." grinned Harry, having purposely sounded like a bad wireless advertisement.

"Thanks Harry." said Charlie, before turning to watch Bill open his.

Bill's were much smaller, and there were two of them. One was definitely a book, and the other was about the size of two bars of soap end to end. Wanting to get the book out of the way first, thinking it would be the less impressive of the two presents, he peeled the paper away and almost dropped the book out of shock after reading the title.

"Where...where did you get this?" asked a dumbfounded Bill.

The title read, "Current Wards and Protective Spells to Guard Thy Keep." The title, of course, was a tad misleading, since current was, at the time the book was written, over 500 years ago.

"This book is amazing!" Bill said as he leafed through it. "It was said to be lost. There were only 50 copies made, and the last one was thought to be lost over 100 years ago. Where did you get it!"

Harry laughed, "It was part of my inheritance. I saw it, and thought you might like it, so I had a copy made. Sorry, but you only get a copy." he grinned. He hadn't lied, Potter mansion, after all, was part of his inheritance. If they wanted to think it was part of his Black inheritance, he wasn't going to correct them.

"Thanks Harry!" he said, continuing to leaf through the book.

"What about the other one?" Harry said as he motioned at the smaller of the two gifts, "The book doesn't count. It was something I would have given you anyways since it didn't cost me a knut."

Bill picked up the smaller package, which he had completely forgotten about, and opened it. Inside were a pair of gold rimmed half spectacles. "But I don't need glasses Harry."

"Put them on and look around." Harry told him.

Seeing no harm in trying, he did as he was told. Once on his face, however, he nearly fell out of his chair as the room around him lit up in a myriad of colours.

Chuckling at his reaction, Harry explained, "They're magical specs much like Professor Dumbledore's, but I didn't tell you that. They allow you to see magical auras and enchantments on objects or people. This includes invisible objects, permanent wards, curses, hexes and a big long list of other things. I was told the different colours represent the kind of enchantment to a certain extent, and thought they might be helpful in recognizing some of the wards that were on some of the tombs in Egypt that had been giving you and your crew so many problems. I know you're not working there anymore, and doubt they'll be much help in...ahem... 'teaching people English', but if you ever do go back out, you'll be a step ahead."

Bill blushed slightly at Harry's joke, as the rest of the group chuckled at him. What had started out as english lessons, had become a full fledged relationship a few months ago, but it was still a source of amusement for everyone.

Bill, who was now totally fixated on the sights and wonders of the magic around him, hadn't even heard Ron calling to him to continue the present distribution.

"Oh never mind, I'll do it myself." Ron said as he got up and went the to pile of presents that remained, side stepping a pre-occupied Bill.

Ron picked up a small package that was about the size of a picture or diploma frame, but about twice as thick, and handed it to the twins.

"I have to apologize to you two. Yours is the only present that I didn't pay a cent for, but I don't think you'll mind."

The two tore way are the paper to reveal two wooden frames. Looking at the contents of said frames, something happened to the twins that the occupants of the room hadn't see for a long, long time.

They were speechless.

After a good minute of silence, an event that doesn't happen in the Weasley home when the whole family is there, as even when asleep, snores can be heard resounding in the house, Mrs. Weasley broke the silence, "What are they boys?"

"They're..." George tried.

"...they're..." Fred attempted.

"They're the deeds to the both the shop they are currently renting in Diagon Alley, and another shop directly beside the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade." Harry finished.

"Harry?" asked the two twins simultaneously as they looked up at him, each one with a deed in his hand.

Harry smiled, "They're yours guys."

At this, the twins jumped up and started dancing a very merry gig.

"Harry? You told us that the gifts would be practical." prodded Mrs. Weasley, still not totally thrilled about her sons' chosen career, was not overly impressed that Harry would help them. But she could never really be cross with the generous young man before her, so her stern look broke into a small smile as she saw the joy on her sons' faces.

"They are Mrs. Weasley. Both locations are equipped with a fireplace that I had the ministry hook up into a private loop. The only fire places that they can go to them are the ones from the other store, Marauder Mansion, or the Burrow. It'll make for a very effective escape route, and means of transportation for Ron and Ginny to wherever they need to go until they can apparate." Harry explained.

The twins stopped dancing, "There's a fireplace in our shop in Diagon Alley?" they asked together, a look of confusion on their faces.

"Well...there is in the 4 bedroom flat above it which is vacant and now owned by you." Harry explained with a smile.

They twins eyes lit up even more, and their gig resumed with double the initial fervour getting a hardy laugh from the rest in the room.

"No more rent! No more rent! Not for us! Cause Harry's great! No more rent!" they chanted as they hopped. They had recently been renting a two bedroom apartment over Madam Malkins, and were over the moon about moving into a larger place that they wouldn't have to pay for on a monthly basis.

The twins eventually calmed, and sat back down. They were looking forward to finding out what their last two siblings were going to get from their generous benefactor.

Ginny was given hers next and opened it. Inside, were the dragon hide boots that she had returned to Harry earlier that year, when she thought she had gotten too much.

"Those boots are charmed to fit any person's foot, are waterproof, have heating and cooling charms on them so the person's feet will be comfortable, have a wand holster in each boot, can morph into anyone of 10 different styles, can change into any colour the wearer can picture in their head and are also charmed to be silent." he explained.

"Thank you so much Harry!" she said as she jumped up and gave Harry a hug.

Harry smiled and hugged her in return. It always felt so nice.

The hug lingered a bit longer then it should have, as it usually did with those two, but soon Ginny was sitting in her seat again, and thinking about the boots in her hands.

'That explained why I didn't see them on the table when the others had chose their things,' she thought, 'but it doesn't explain why Harry just said that the twins' present was the only one he didn't have to pay for.' She knew for a fact that he didn't buy these, even if she hadn't been aware of their full enchantments. Not that she was complaining, it was just that she was confused. She'd have to ask him that night at the mansion.

Unfortunately for Harry and Ginny, a couple of people in the room had noticed the contented smile on both the young people's faces during the embrace, and the new found comfort between the two of them. Molly wasn't blind after all, and even though Ginny had told her that she was dating a Justin, she had a feeling Justin wouldn't be around come the end of the year.

Ron too had noticed, and was smiling at himself. He'd have to talk to Hermione about this. He knew better then to get in between Ginny and her boyfriend, but once they broke up, if they broke up, Ron had a plan that included a couple of stunning spells and a broom closet that he would have to implement.

Still smiling, Ron reached down and picked up the last present under the tree. It had been partially hidden behind the conifer, and now that it was fully exposed, Ron had a pretty good idea of that it was. Pulling away the paper, the box he saw before him did nothing to dissuade his opinion of what it contained.

With a slightly shaky hand, Ron lifted the lid and held his breath, as though worried it was going to disappear. The rest of the room watched silently as Ron reached in and pulled out a broom.

"Ron, is that..." began Fred.

"...what I think it is?" finished George.

"The Nimbus VIK...the most advanced Keeper's broom there is on the market." muttered Ron in a monotone, yet awe filled voice, "Harry...I can't..."

"Again," started Harry, "It's not only for fun, it also has a very practical use. I'm planning on starting a broom dueling unit in the DA, and this broom boasts that it responds with barely a touch, is good for short bursts of speed and steady as a rock for all the maneuvers, like the starfish and others. I see it as good for bursts of speed to surprise the enemy, steady during combat and casting, and responds quickly to evade incoming spells."

Harry started to get worried at Ron's silence, not sure if he would accept it. He was sure Ron liked it, Ron had been talking about that broom practically non-stop for the last two months, since it's release on the market, he just wasn't sure how Ron will react.

"You ok there mate?" asked Harry tentatively.

Starring blankly at the broom in his hand he replied, "I'm fine...I'm just fighting an internal battle right now. I want to both thump you for spending this much and thank you profusely for giving it to me. I want to refuse it and giving it back and accept it as twisted form of payment for that horrid prank you played on me this morning." he explained, never changing his mood, or shifting his eyes from the piece of wood in his hand.

Everyone grinned at his comment, and continued to watch, and wait to see how the youngest Weasley male was going to react.

Ron closed his eyes, and shook his head slowly in a negative fashion, before he opened his eyes and looked at Harry with a smile on his face.

"Thanks mate...just...thanks." Ron concluded, deciding not to say what he was thinking and just accept the gift from his best friend.

The next hour or so was spent playing with gifts, and rambunctious happenings. Except for Ron, who, most of the time, just sat there staring at the broom that never once left his hand the rest of the morning.

Despite the joyous mood, however, Harry noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley kept stealing sad glances over at an empty chair in a corner of the room. After a sad look from Ginny, Harry nodded slightly. His next stop should be interesting.

Eventually, Harry bid them goodbye, and after a few Happy Christmas' and yuletide hugs, he was off to his next destination.

* * *

Percy was not having the best of Christmas'. He had turned his back on his family, his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, his Hogwarts sweetheart, had left him over a month ago, and he no longer found any pleasure in his job. It had taken him a while to see it, but as they say, ignorance was bliss. Percy knew now that Fudge was an incompetent imbecile, and now that he was no longer in power, Percy found himself having to face the reality and truth of his prior actions. He had betrayed everything he had once held dear, all for nothing. Now he was alone. Everyone in his past having left him, the dream of greatness he once embraced had also now flown away. He was alone. So he clung to the only thing he had that was his and would never leave him like everything and everyone else in his life. 

His Pride.

He couldn't apologize. He could go to anyone and admit that what he had done was wrong. How could he give up the last thing he had? How could he throw away the last bit of who he was? He couldn't.

'So much for Gryffindor courage.' he thought.

Looking around him, he took in his surroundings. His flat was tidy. Nothing was ever out of place, he regularly cast cleaning charms, and silence reigned. Not like the chaos he was brought up in: knitting needles and toys lying around, dirty shoes by the door, items haphazardly placed every where, and there was always noise, always someone making sound. There was always someone else there. He never thought he'd ever miss that so much.

'What's wrong with me?' he thought, 'how did things get so bad?'

_Besides the fact that you're a big prat? _The young female voice said.

Despite the fact that the voice was insulting, he smiled. He had long since given up trying to guess who's voice it was, or why she was bothering him of all people. He just enjoyed the company. Besides, it reminded him of his little sister, and though he had never been very close to her when he lived at home, he had always loved her, as with the rest of his family.

'Happy Christmas.' Percy thought with a smile.

_Happy Christmas to you too._ She responded. _But shouldn't you answer the door?_

'What?' he asked, but before he could get a response, he heard a knock at his door. 'Who is it?'

I'm not telling you. Just go and find out. She told him.

Not wanting to be rude to someone who would actually come and visit him on Christmas day, he yelled that he was coming, threw on his housecoat, as he had been sitting around in night shirt, and opened the door.

"Hello?" he asked as he opened it, still not having seen who is was on the other side.

"Hello Percy. Happy Christmas."

He knew that voice. Looking down, his fears were confirmed.

"H...Harry?" he stammered.

Harry just nodded.

"P...please come in." Percy said opening his door a bit wider, and motioning his guest in with his arm.

"Thank you Percy." Harry stated calmly as he entered.

"Can I get you something?" asked Percy guiltily. There was so much he wanted to say to this young man, not the least of which was how sorry he was, but where to begin?

"No, that's ok Percy, but thank you for offering. I just stopped by to tell you something, then I'll have to be going." Harry told him.

"What would you like to tell me?" Percy inquired, trying to hide his wince. He figured Harry's news wasn't good, but he was too tired, too weary from life to act indifferent anymore. He did care, and nothing he could do could hide that now.

Percy's responses hadn't gone unnoticed by Harry, and he found himself agreeing with what Ginny had told him a few nights before.

"Percy, I wanted to tell you that despite the fact that you betrayed me," Percy flinched. "and your family," Percy's head fell with guilt. "I want to tell you that I don't hold it against you."

Percy's head shot up, and his eyes held a new spark that Harry hadn't seen in them all morning. Hope.

"I wont forgive you until you ask, because I don't refuse to give you anything you don't want, but I wanted you to know that the offer stands." Harry concluded.

"Why?" asked Percy quietly.

"Why? For many reasons: this is war and I can use all the allies I can get, we all make mistakes, or a number of others. But the main one was what I experienced this morning. I sat around the table with an amazing family, who joked and laughed, but all the while their eyes held a seed of sadness and kept glancing over at a chair that always remains empty at meal times, but they refuse to remove. Then we moved to the living room, and opened presents. They laughed, and joked. They rejoiced in the presence of those people there that they loved, but again, I could see them mourning the loss of the one who wasn't as both of the parents kept looking over at the empty reading chair off in a secluded corner of the room.

"I wont lie to you and say that you will be received with open arms by everyone, but you know as well as I do that you deserve what you get. I can assure you, though, that at least two people will be visibly glad to see you, and that even if the others don't show it right away, they'll be happy to see you too if you've really repented."

Harry paused to let it sink in before continuing, "I know one wonderful lady who would like nothing more for Christmas then for her prodigal son to show up at dinner tonight at 6."

That hope that had been sparked earlier, we now being fanned by his words, and Harry could see the small flame that it had become in the eyes of the downtrodden man before him.

"That's all I came to say, Percy. That, and to ask you not to take for granted something that I would give all I have and all I am, to experience for just one day; a family of my own who loves me. Happy Christmas." concluded Harry before he opened the door himself and left.

Without uttering a sound, Percy made his way back over the kitchen table and sat in the chair he had been sitting at before, deep in thought.

* * *

Harry rung the doorbell at the Granger residence, and it was promptly opened by a rather miffed looking Hermione. 

"Happy Christmas?" Harry said shyly, in hopes of a piece offering.

"Harry James Potter. The look of guilt on your face is all I needed to see. How could you do that to him? How could you do that to ME?" he asked angrily, poking in the chest with her index finger.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I had no idea that you guys got up that early on Christmas. I honestly didn't do it to embarrass you, just to really worry Ron." he said sheepishly, "Please forgive me?"

Hermione's anger expression seemed to crack slightly as her lips curled up into a smile.

"Of course you're forgiven. I have to admit, it was funny." she said with a giggle, "Though it would have been a lot funnier had I not been embarrassed also."

Harry smiled and nodded.

Hermione ushered Harry into the living room and left him with her father, telling him to wait there until he was called.

"Happy Christmas Harry, it's good to see you again." greeted Mr. Granger as he entered the living room.

"You as well Dr. Granger." said Harry with a smile, as he shook the hand that had been offered him.

"That will get confusing very quickly, Harry." the older man said with a smile, "My name is Gerald, but you can call me Gerry."

Harry agreed with a nod, and sat in the chair he was offered.

The girls were all in the kitchen preparing lunch with their mother, when Harry asked Gerry if there was anything he could do to help, Gerry replied, "You enter that room to your own peril. It's just not safe with the four of them running around. I once tried to help..." his voice trailed off, and he gave a mock shudder as he pretended to remember, "It wasn't pretty. Trust me, its safer just hanging out here. Can I get you a butterbeer?" asked the Dr.

"That sounds great." Harry replied, relaxing a bit.

Gerry got up and walked over to a small bar in the corner, opened the small fridge beneath it, and handed Harry a Butterbeer. As he cracked his own open, he told Harry, "This has got to be my favorite thing to come out of the Wizarding World. It's an amazing drink." as he took a long sip.

"I fully agree." responded Harry, as he too took a swig.

Gerry laughed, "Oh, I'm sure there are other things you like better." the Dr. said, "As a muggle, however, what I can get out of your world is limited."

Harry nodded, "True. But it doesn't make butterbeer any less amazing."

"Understood." Gerry said with a smile. "Now, Harry, I have to ask you something. This morning our present opening was interrupted by a visitor dressed in his sundae best. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Gerry asked with an amused smile.

Harry laughed at the man's well placed pun, and proceeded to tell the man the full details of the prank. Dr. Granger asked him how he was capable of doing the magic portions without getting in trouble, since he knew that Harry was not yet 17. Harry went on to explain his status as head of a pureblood family, but not only that, but also that he could do wandless magic, which could not be traced by the ministry. After a few examples, the two moved on to other topics.

They had just started talking about Diagon alley, when Grace Granger came in and introduced herself, before telling the boys it was time to eat.

Harry thought the meal had been terrific, and told the assembled ladies that repeatedly. Harry had been told that it was the triplets who had prepared the meal, and that Grace had just hovered and helped were they needed her. There had been turkey and ham, yams and broccoli, even cranberry sauce. There had been an eclectic mix of types of food as each of the girls attended school in a different culture, and it had all been great.

After the meal, Harry and the doctors had been ushered out and into the living room as the girls went about their cleaning.

"Now that we have you alone, Harry, we had a couple of questions for you." started Gerry.

Gerry and Grace went on to talk about how Hermione had talked a lot about Harry, almost more then about Ron, since her first year, and wondered what kind of relationship they had, since they were under the impression that she was dating Ron.

Harry explained that he is so close to Hermione because he thinks of her as a sister. He never had a family and Hermione and the Weasleys were the closest thing he's ever had to one. They shared a lot over the last five and a half years, and there isn't anything he wouldn't do for her if she asked. And he couldn't be happier that his two best friends had finally gotten together and he wouldn't do anything to ruin that, not to mention the fact that he didn't think of Hermione that way.

"That's good to hear, Harry, now, what about our other daughters?" asked Gerry with a raised eyebrow and a slight grin.

Harry was able to hide his reddening cheeks with his metamorphmagus abilities. "I don't know what you mean." he said, straight faced.

"Harry, we're not blind. We saw the way Athena was acting around you during lunch. We also saw how Hermione was getting annoyed with her for it, and that's why we asked first how you felt about Hermione." Grace told him.

"I'm sure Hermione was only acting like that cause she knows how much I hate it when girls I don't know fawn over me. It happens more then I care to admit." Harry said, looking like he wanted to say more, but choosing to end there.

"But..." prompted Gerry.

"But...I think I might actually like Athena a bit." admitted Harry in a quiet voice, this time unable to hide his embarrassment. He WAS talking to her parents after all. "I've been trying to avoid her for the last few weeks, but the more time I spend with her, the less I want to resist."

The two adults smiled. "We figured as much. She seemed to be growing on you as the meal progressed." noted Grace.

Harry had started the meal trying to ignore her advances, but by about the midway point, he had found himself becoming more comfortable with her, enjoying her company more and more. After all, they had a lot in common. Both good in Defense, loved quidditch, were outgoing, and a bunch of other things.

"I think it's only fair to warn you, Harry. Once Athena sets her mind to something, it's very rare that she doesn't get it." Mr. Granger told him with a smirk.

"The only problem is that I had been avoiding getting into another relationship because my last few have kinda blown up in my face. The last thing I want to do is lose a friend, especially since she's my best friend's sister." Harry told them.

Mr. Granger was the one who replied, "Whatever you decide, Harry, remember to treat her well. I'd go through my fatherly duty and threaten you with bodily harm, and eternal suffering if you hurt my little girl, but I know for a fact that if you do hurt her, she'll do much worse things to you then I ever could." he told Harry with a grin.

The conversation after that lightened considerably. Mrs. Granger had broken out the family photo albums, and the two adults were showing Harry many pictures of the girls through the years. Harry loved it. Even though the pictures didn't move, he could tell how happy they had been as children, and was thankful that they hadn't had a childhood like his.

"Oh no you don't!" said Athena upon entering the room and seeing what they were doing. She quickly whipped out her wand and pointed it at them, "Accio photo album."

Seeing her prepare a spell, Harry wandlessly threw a shield up, and the book didn't budge.

"What's wrong dear?" asked an amused Grace, "We were just showing Harry some of your baby pictures."

"Ya, I found the bath ones very entertaining." said Harry with a wink, which caused Athena to go a bright shade of red, and hide behind Hermione.

"I meant, of course, the one of all three of you together in the bath." he clarified with an evil smirk and dancing twinkle in his eye, as he produced a picture from his lap, "I liked it so much, I made a copy actually."

The three girls went from embarrassed to stricken with fear.

"You...you...you wouldn't!" said Hermione.

"Well...I think it's only fair, after poor Ron's entrance this morning." Harry replied with a wink. Seeing how Demeter was the only on not really affected by all this, he decided to send a shot her way, "I was thinking of sending one to Neville too actually."

"Neville? Who's this Neville?" asked her father when he saw Demeter's reaction.

That did the trick. All three went bright red, and trying to decide what to do.

As Harry explained who Neville was, the three girls had decided to work together to get that picture. Simultaneously, they all cast, "Accio picture."

The joint spell ripped through Harry's shield, and flew into the outstretched hand of Hermione who quickly cast an 'incendio' on it in the fireplace.

The triplets looked rather smug, and Harry was clearly disappointed.

"No fair! You can't you triplet magic, how am I supposed to block that?" he asked.

"Triplet Magic?" asked a curious Hermione.

"Didn't you read the book I had up in the library Hermione? 'Whenever a set of twins or triplets cast a spell simultaneously, the spells effects do not add to the other in power, as when others cast is at the same time, but multiply, or in the case of triplets, the power behind said spells are cubed.'" he told them in his best professor voice.

"No I haven't, but I will be as soon as I can get my hands on it." admitted Hermione.

"Shall we get to the presents then?" interrupted Mr. Granger.

As the guest, Harry went first. He opened hi present to reveal an entire muggle wardrobe: pants, shirts, shoes, socks, boxers, the works.

"According to Hermione, you don't have many muggle clothes that actually fit you properly..." started Demeter.

"...so since we knew that you owned at least one of everything magical..." continued Athena.

"...we figured that you'd eventually need all this..." interjected Hermione.

"So we took it upon ourselves to get you a whole new wardrobe..." continued Athena.

"... of muggle things..." added Demeter.

"...since we know that the one thing you hate worse then Voldemort is..." Hermione clarified.

"Shopping." the three girls concluded in unison.

Harry couldn't take it, and started howling.

The other five people in the room looked at him in confusion.

"What is so amusing Harry?" inquired Grace.

"I just came from the Weasley's and listened to Fred and George talk like that all morning." he said between chuckles.

"Like what?" all three choruses simultaneously, sending Harry into another fit of laughter.

This time, however, the three girls caught it. Athena and Demeter joined him in laughter, but Hermione just looked horrified.

"We're...we...I...I'm not like THEM!" she finally proclaimed, bringing on a whole new wave of laughter.

"You two still haven't met the twins yet, have you?" asked Harry.

"No, we haven't" admitted Demeter.

"But from Hermione's reaction of them, I'm sure we'll like 'em." Athena added, earning her a glare from Hermione.

"Anyways," interjected Harry, before a war broke out, "Now it's my turn!"

"You just had your turn." said Athena.

"No, It's my turn to give, and the first ones are for your parents. I hope you like them Gerry, Grace." he corrected her with a smile, before calling, "Stewy!"

Stewy appeared immediately, carrying three identical cages, containing almost three identical owls. All three were barn owls, and though they looked practically identical, their colours were a little different. One was dark brown, another was light brown, and the third seemed to have a bid of red mixed in with its feathers.

"Happy Christmas Stewy." the triplets said, again in unison.

"Happy Christmas to you to Miss'" he said with a bow.

"Wait Stewy!" said Hermione, "I have something for you." she said before running off.

"While you're waiting for her to get back, Stewy, let me introduce you to the girls' parents. This is Gerry and Grace Granger."

"Hello Stewy." they both offered, but not at exactly the same time as their daughters had.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Gainger." he replied with a bow.

Before anyone could say anything else, Hermione had re-entered the room, with a present in hand.

"Here you go Stewy." said Hermione as she handed him the present.

Stewy had never received a present before, not from anyone except Master John and Master Harry, so to say he was excited was an understatement.

The young elf ripped open the package to reveal a knitted hat. The hat matched his uniform and even had the Potter crest on it. He looked over to Harry, with the silent question of whether or not he could accept it and put it on. Harry smiled and nodded.

"I know that when I give you clothes, it doesn't set you free, and since I've never seen you with a hat on, I thought you might like one to go with your uniform." she told him.

"Thanks you Miss Hermeyenee. This is a very good present. Stewy like it very much." he told her as he put it on his head. "This will match the shirt that master Harry gave me too!"

"He gave you clothes Stewy? That's great! You're free!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh NO! Miss Hermeyenee, Stewy not wanting to be free. Master Harry was giving it to Stewy after telling Stewy that it did not mean his freedom. Stewy would never had taken it if Master Harry had not said that first." Stewy assured her.

Grace and Gerry had long since given up trying to figure out what they were talking about, instead looking at the owls they had just received from Harry.

Hermione was glaring at Harry, who in turn was trying to ignore her by talking to her parents. The last thing he wanted was to get into a row on Christmas with his best friend.

The other two girls were talking with Stewy about his plans for Christmas, which in turn reminded him, "Stewy must be going Mr., Mrs. and Misses Gainger. Stewy is having a dinner to prepare. Happy Christmas again." he told them before hugging Hermione's legs in thanks and disappearing.

Ignoring Hermione's continued glare, he turned to Grace and Gerry, "I was only going to get you one owl, but when I saw these three girls sitting on the perch together, I knew I had to get them all. You also have enough food and treats for them to last 'til the summer, after which I'm sure one of the girls will be able to get you more." Harry said as he pulled out a box, which he enlarged, containing food, and three stands for the cages.

"Thank you very much Harry. This way each girl can have their own private owl." Grace said.

"You're very welcome, though the owls are for you first and foremost, not them. They are also very well trained, according to the clerk, and even if you leave the cages open, they will always return there to do their business, unless they're outside." Harry assured them.

"Excellent! I just hope HermioneII, AthenaII and DemeterII will like their new home. He said while rubbing their feathers. All three owls seemed to know he was talking to them, and hooted in response.

"It would appear that they will." smiled Harry.

The girls had mixed emotions about being replaced by owls, but settled on being content for their parents. At least now they wouldn't be here alone.

"Next up is Demeter." said Harry, as he pulled out a small bag and handed it to her.

Inside she found an top of the line pair of dragon hide gloves, "These are Hungarian Horntail gloves! This is great! My last pair were from a Vipertooth and were start starting to wear through."

"I know, besides, I couldn't have you working in your brand new greenhouse with an old pair of gloves." he told her with a smirk.

"My greenhouse? I didn't get a greenhouse." she stated, more then a little confused.

"Yes you did. Didn't you notice the new shed out in the back yard?" he asked her.

"I just thought dad ran out of room for all his junk in the other two." she said, starting to get what he was hinting at, "You don't mean..."

"Yes I do. I was able to deliver it before you came home, and thanks to your parents, keep it a secret 'til now. It's only charmed to look like a muggle shed about a quarter of its actual size." Harry told her, as he watched her eyes become larger and larger with each word being spoken. "It's currently empty now, however, so you'll have to come and visit me and pick up a few things from my garden."

Luckily, Harry looked up at that point, and was able to steady himself as Demeter threw herself at him.

"Thanks you, thank you, thank you, thank you." she repeated over and over again as she hugged him.

Harry laughed, "You're very welcome. But you should probably let go soon, before Neville finds that you threw yourself at me." he said, not able to resist picking on her a bit.

"Neville?" asked Mr. Granger, as Demeter turned an amazing shade of red. "This is the second time that young man's name has come up."

"He's just a friend." she mumbled, slightly above a whisper.

Hermione and Athena were smiling knowingly when Mrs. Granger spoke, "Of course he is, love."

"Who's next?" Demeter asked, trying to deflect the attention from herself. Having pity on her, Harry decided it was time to move on.

"Next up is Athena." He said before pulling out a parcel from his robe before enlarging it. It was a rather long parcel.

"What is it?" she asked as she took the gift from him.

"Open it and find out!" he told her.

She tore into the present and stopped suddenly, her eyes glazing over, when she finally opened the box. Having lost the ability to speak, it was Hermione leaning over her shoulder who asked the question, "Is that what I think it is?"

Harry nodded.

"A Nimbus 2004? But...but...it's not even out on the market yet! How did you get your hands on one?" she asked. Hermione had been listening to Ron talk about this broom for the past month and a half.

"How did you..." was all Athena was able to get out.

Demeter probably would have commented as well, if her mind wasn't still reeling after her big surprise.

"Let's just say I have contact who was able to pull some strings for me. Do you like it?" Harry didn't see the point in telling them that thanks to his Black inheritance, he was now a major shareholder in the Nimbus Company. That one contact had served him nicely this Christmas.

Athena's response was similar to her sister's in style, if not duration. The threw herself at Harry repeatedly saying thank you, but unlike Demeter, she pulled herself away from Harry with a big smile on her face and proceeded to give him one of his best kisses to date.

When neither teen showed any semblance of stopping, Mr. Granger felt it was his duty to remind them were they were.

"Ahem." he said, clearing his throat.

A very red Athena and a matching Harry separated with identical sheepish grins on their faces.

"Well...ya...thanks Harry." she muttered a tad bit flustered.

"Um...sure...no problem." he returned in the same broken, and quiet voice.

It was the other two girls' turn to poke fun now, and they would have had a good run of it too, had Harry not thwarted their plans by reminding Hermione that she still hadn't gotten her gift yet.

Curiosity won out over the urge to embarrass, and soon Hermione found herself with a recently enlarged present in her hands. Besides, there'd be time to embarrass her sister after.

Inside the box, she was surprised to discover a... 'Cloak? A regular, black cloak? I mean, sure its good quality, and excellent fabric, but really! A cloak?' she thought as she inspected it.

"Thanks Harry." she said with a smile that belied the look or disappointment in her eyes.

Harry frowned, "You don't honestly think that all I'd get you was a plain cloak, do you 'Mione?"

"Well...no, but its a nice cloak...I mean...I don't expect expensive presents from you Harry." she decided to quit while she was behind, and let him explain.

"Open it up, 'Mione." he said.

She opened it to find about 50 different pocket openings, and immediately she knew what it was. "Oh Harry! I've read about these, but where did you get one? They're really rare."

"That they are." he admitted, "That one came from America, so please forgive the measurements I use to describe it. I haven't had a chance to change them over yet. Out of the 50 pockets, 40 of them are one foot by one foot in diameter, five are two feet by two feet, and five of them are two feet by five feet deep. It never changes in weight, despite its contents, and five or the one foot by one foot pockets are refrigerated. With this cloak, you can carry all your books, fore every class, and still have enough room to carry a snack around for Ron." he added with a grin.

In true Granger girl fashion, she threw herself onto him and hugged him tight. After which she couldn't help but get in at least one good shot, "But I'm gonna pass on kissing you Harry. I hope you don't mind."

"Shut up." he mumbled as she playfully shoved her back into her seat.

After another hour of laughing, and giving Demeter a tour of her new greenhouse, Harry said his goodbyes. He shook Gerry's hand and gave Grace and each of the triplets a hug. Athena's hug, however, ended with a discreet kiss on the cheek, and a whispered, "We'll talk about this later." from Harry, before he waved one last time and flashed out of their living room, leaving a visibly reddened Athena, and a mischievous looking Hermione and Demeter.

* * *

"Are the men ready Bella?" asked the voice of her lord. 

"Yes Master. They are all assembled and awaiting your orders, my lord." she said, bowing low.

"Excellent. We start the attacks at midnight. I want no one leaving the compound before then. Tell them, if anyone leaves, they will be labeled a traitor and executed on site. I want you to start to brief each team on their mission at eleven, and all strikes are to happen at midnight exactly. You may go."

"As you command my lord."

But as she was about to leave the room, he spoke again.

"Oh Bella? I will give you yet another reprieve, and not curse you as you leave my presence. For a lesson in failure now would be a mute point, and only pale in comparison to what you will receive upon your return if you are not successful. Do not disappoint me, Bella. For I promise you that the price of failure this time will be too much for you to bear. Now go, and do as I have commanded you."

"Yes my lord."

* * *

**AN:** Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to your reviews. 

Farfumsane.


	38. Happy Christmas Harry, Part III

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, it's hers, not imagination for this one, ah well.

**Chap 37: Happy Christmas Harry! (Part III)**

After flashing away from the Grangers, Harry found himself on the front steps of his next destination.

Harry's knocking was soon answered by a house elf, who though not well dressed, was still wearing a clean uniform style outfit.

"Hello?" asked the small creature.

"Hello. My name is Harry Potter, and I was wondering if I might be able to speak with Blaise."

The elf's eyes seemed to bulge for a second in recognition, and with a small smile, he continued, "It is good to be meeting you Mr. Harry Potter sir. Please come in and Sammy will be getting young master Blaise for you."

Harry entered and waited.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" asked Blaise as he entered the foyer.

"I just wanted to drop in and wish you a Happy Christmas. I also had something to give to you." Harry told him as he produced a wrapped present from his robes and handed it to him.

Blaise smiled at the pleasant surprise, and accepted the gift from Harry. Inside of which were a pair of very dark grey boots.

"They're basilisk skin, and have a silencing charm on them. They also make the wearer immune to petrification. I thought as the head of my spy network that you might appreciate them." Harry told him with a smile.

"Thanks Harry. I'm sorry that I didn't get you anything." Blaise said, with a guilty expression on his face.

"Don't be." Harry told him with a smirk, "I had actually come on business, but to justify this visit on Christmas day, I figured I should come bearing gifts."

At this, Blaise smiled, "How very Slytherin of you. What do you need?"

"I've been having a bad feeling lately. I can't help but feel that we have a spy in the DA. I know I shouldn't be worried. With all the protections we put up it shouldn't be possible, but I've learned not to underestimate the Dark arts." Harry didn't want to get into his kneazle senses and feelings during big meetings. For some reason he's been getting the general feeling of betrayal from someone in the group, but when he talked to everyone individually outside of the meetings, he can't seem to find them.

Blaise looked thoughtful, "Why are you trusting me with this? For all you know, I could be the leak." he said, trying to get a read off Harry.

Harry's face remained impassive again, "You have nothing to gain from betrayal. You're family wanted to remain neutral, now that you have given up that neutrality, there is really no way to go back to it, and it is doubtful that Tom would want you on his side now after years of trying to avoid him. Not to mention the fact that most of the people you do business with are either neutral or light, and so business would suffer if you were to go against your word and alliance with me."

Blaise nodded, but otherwise didn't show any other emotion.

"Not to mention I like you and I trust you, and everything else aside, I don't think you'd ever betray me." Harry admitted with a smile.

Blaise's face broke into a smile of his own, "Sometimes I listen to you and think that the Hat made a mistake, and then you go and say something like that and reminds me that it didn't." then quieter he said, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, my friend. Oh, and I have something else for you. They're not presents, but they're tools for the DA. I'm just putting you in charge of them as they are linked to your division." Harry said as he pulled two miniature cloaks from his robe before enlarging them.

"Invisibility cloaks?" asked a disbelieving Blaise.

"Ya, and they weren't that easy to come by, so be careful with them." Harry told him jokingly. The truth was that he had found them in the mansion, but since Blaise wasn't yet part of his mansion group, he figured he's just let him think whatever he liked.

"Why are you giving them to me now?" Blaise ask out of curiosity.

"I thought you might want to practice with them and your new boots here. I'm sure you can think of something to use them for. You do have a little brother and sister, don't you?" Harry asked, his eyes all a twinkle.

Blaise's smile, turned mischievous, "Yes, yes I do. Thank you very much Harry, I will become very proficient with these before Christmas is over."

"Have fun with that, I was also thinking, though, that you might want to show them both how to use them too. I know you're brother is already helping you, but it would also be nice to have one or two first years already partially trained before they get there next year. They tend to go unnoticed by the older years, and can be great sources of information."

"Again with the Slytherin, I'm impressed." Blaise joked.

"Thanks. Anyways, it's about time that I get going. Please tell your family Happy Christmas for me, and I pray you have a relaxing holiday." Harry told him.

"Thanks again Harry, and enjoy the rest of your holiday as well." Blaise told him before leaving.

Once outside, Harry looked around to make sure he was not being watched, and satisfied that he was alone, flashed to his next destination.

* * *

"Good afternoon Mrs. Longbottom, and a very Happy Christmas to you." Harry said as he handed her a small bouquet of ice roses. This magical variation of the popular flower, which only grew naturally at high altitudes and low temperatures, had petals that though as soft as any rose, were crystalline in appearance, very similar to ice. 

Mrs. Longbottom, who rarely showed any emotion, produced a small natural smile as she invited him in.

"You truly are a charmer Mr. Potter. I remember the last time I got a dozen ice roses as a gift. It was a gift from a very handsome young man, his wife, and their small son Harry, when they came over during their last Christmas with us." she told him, as her smile turned slightly sad, "That was a great day. Thank you for bringing back those memories Harry, they are much more precious then any number of roses could ever be."

Harry, not sure what to say exactly, opted to remain silent and smiled.

"But look at me ramble on. I'll go get Neville. Why don't you go and take a seat in the lounge." she told him as she motioned towards the sitting room off to her right.

Neville soon entered, and they greeted each other wit a friendly handshake and a 'Happy Christmas'.

"What brings you here Harry?"

"What do you mean? To give you your present of course!" Harry explained, as he pulled out a small package from his pocket and then wandlessly enlarged it.

"Oh good. I was hoping it wasn't anything serious." Neville answered with a grin of his own and also pulled out a small box.

Harry handed Neville his gift first.

"What is it?" asked Neville as he analyzed it.

"Just open it and find out." Harry said with a grin.

Hesitantly, Neville replied, "Harry...you didn't...prank it did you?" he asked eyeing the package in his hand warily.

Harry laughed, "No Nev. Not on Christmas."

"Ya right! I just got a floo call from Ron before you got here." answered Neville with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"But that's Ron, he doesn't count. He can be pranked any day of the year. You, on the other hand, I wouldn't prank on Christmas. I give you my word." Harry assured him with a smile. "At least not this year." he added, as a twinkle slipped into his green eyes.

Neville laughed and nodded his understanding, before tearing into the present with fervor.

Upon opening the box, Neville's eyes bulged, "Is this a...a..."

"Yes Neville, it's a broom." Harry smirked.

"No...no it's not...this is a Nimbus 2004 'beater edition' broom. Magical stabilizers and compensators for sudden impacts and one handed flying." Neville said, repeating the add he had read not to long ago. "But it's not even out on the market yet!"

"That's what I've been told." Harry grinned, "So you like it then?"

"Harry...I...I can't accept this! I saw the add, it must have cost a small fortune!" Neville pleaded half heartedly.

"Yes you can. This is a gift for you. I gave similar gifts to Ron, and Athena too, though only Ron protested as much as you." Harry said with a smile, before his eyes seemed to glaze over slightly as he remembered Athena's thank you, but then he shook his head and continued "But like I asked him, please let me do this for you. Just this once. I wanted to give each of my friends a gift that showed them how much I cared. I know it doesn't matter to you, and I know you'd trade this gift for my life in a second, but that's exactly the reason I want to give it to you now. I want to SEE you using it, flying it, enjoying it. We'll have so little to enjoy in the year or two to come that I want to take every chance I can to help the people I love around me to relax and enjoy themselves. Besides, playing quidditch isn't the only thing I expect you to use this for. The fact that it can be flown one handed will come in handy for other things too." Harry continued to explain.

"What?" asked Neville, not quite catching on.

"I mean that during the final battle, whenever, wherever that might be, it would be nice to have some air support. Wand in one hand, broom in the other. From that vantage point you can rain down hexes on the enemy. I have been thinking about this for a while, and am planning on introducing that in DA after the New Year. We can split the current offense group into air and land units, but we'll talk about this more when we get back to school." Harry concluded.

"Well...if you put it that way, I guess I wont complain. Your turn." Neville said as he handed Harry a small box.

Harry opened it to find a picture frame, and inside it were two young couples. Both couples were watching two small boys, not even a year old, playing together on the floor in front of them. And all six were laughing and happy.

The young Longbottom and Potter families.

"I didn't know if you had this picture or not, but I thought you might like it." said Neville, not sure how to read Harry's silent reaction. "It was taken at our first Christmas when your parents came over to visit."

Harry looked up from the picture to Neville with a smile on his lips, and an unshed tear in his eye, "Thank you Neville. This is a great picture. I have so few of them." Harry said.

"That's what Ginny told me." he admitted.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, wondering why he would have been talking to her about that.

"I asked her for help with your present. She obviously spends more time in the mansion then the rest of us, and I wanted to make sure that I didn't get you something you already had." Neville said, matter-of-factly.

"Why would you say that?" asked Harry, a little defensively.

"Well, she was already there to help you sort the items, and you said it as though it was no big deal, and a regular thing. Not to mention, when I passed by her room the last weekend we were there, it appeared much more lived in then mine, or Ron's even, and Ron's a slob." Neville said with a snort.

Harry smiled and nodded, "You're right, but I need to get you in there more often too. I still haven't tested you for magical abilities. You, Athena and Demeter all need to spend a day with me and Horass so we can run you through all kinds of tests." Harry told him as he tried to change the topic, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable about all this talk of Ginny.

"What kind of tests?" Neville asked with curiosity.

"Mostly spells. None of them are painful, though some are rather draining." Harry told him. Harry then proceeded to tell him some of the gifts that are available, and some of the ones he himself had. He also asked Neville to make a list of things he thought he was gifted in, and also which magical gifts ran in the Longbottom family. Neville agreed, and told Harry that he would sit down with his grandmother before heading back to school and ask her what she knew.

Harry's time was soon up, and he had to excuse himself in order to be on time for his next rendezvous. He then bade Neville a goodbye, and flashed out of his living room in a small burst of flame.

* * *

As Molly busied herself in the kitchen, putting some final touches on that night's Christmas dinner, her musings of meeting Bill's new girlfriend, Fleur, for the first time were interrupted by a knocking. 

"I'll be right there." she yelled as she wiped her hand in her apron and made her way to the front door. Everyone was upstairs taking a nice afternoon nap, as was their Christmas day custom, so as not to get in their mother's way as she prepared the meal. And so Molly was left to answer it herself.

The Weasley matriarch opened the door, with her best Christmas smile on, and before she could wish the visitor a Happy Christmas, she saw who it was and the words just wouldn't come.

Before her was a very humble and guilty looking Percy, wearing the Weasley jumper she had sent him just a couple of days ago.

Her prodigal son had returned.

Before he could begin his well-rehearsed apology, he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Percy, unable to control himself any longer either, felt the walls he had built, that had been steadily weekening over the last few weeks, finally collapse as he wept freely into this mothers shoulder. Happy to finally be home.

* * *

"Moony, I'm home!" cried Harry as he arrived in the mansion. It was about 3:30 pm in the outside world, but here in the mansion it was already 6pm. He knew that dinner would be at 7pm Potter time, so that gave him an hour to continue to digest the wonderful lunch he had eaten not even three hours earlier. 

'There sure is a lot of eating at Christmas.' he thought amusedly.

"In the lounge, cub." was the reply.

Harry entered the lounge to find both Remus and Tonks sitting across from each other at the table holding hands and looking happier then they had in a long time.

"What'd I miss?" asked Harry.

Tonks' smile grew, if that was at all possible, as she lifted her left hand to reveal a beautiful ring with a very big diamond in it.

Harry laughed, but not one of humour, it was a laugh of someone who had been over come with joy. "That's great guys." he smiled, "I'm so happy for you. When do you plan on having it?"

The two love birds looked at each other and smiled sadly.

"We decided to wait." started Tonks, "We're hoping that with this new potion out there, werewolves will get a better rep, and hopefully some of those anti-werewolf legislations will be abolished, since as it stands, they can't legally marry or have children."

"But you're my Godfather Remus, doesn't that count as taking care of a child?" asked the young man.

"Not really. The ministry doesn't recognize that as an official title. I can't be your official guardian, but I can be your honourary one, if that makes any sense."

"So, that means we're engaged until we can marry. We'd do it tonight if it became legal, but it isn't, so we wont." Tonks said.

"We don't have much family, I have you, and Dora has her parents. We'd invite the order too, and probably have Dumbledore officiate since he is the head of the Wizengamot, and they're all used to responding at a moment's notice anyways." he smiled.

"So this happened today then? Not even a couple of months ago you told me that you had just started dating. Why the sudden jump?" asked Harry, who had been wondering himself how a person knew who was right for them, and when they should act. Susan hadn't been, He really doubted Sally-Ann was, and now with this whole Athena thing, he really needed some guidance.

Remus braved a response, "The reason it took so long was because I was dumb, not because I didn't care for her already. I was too worried about me being a werewolf and the age difference. I had been trying to work up enough courage to tell her how I felt for a good year now." the embarrassed wolf replied.

"How much of a difference is there?" asked Harry.

"Ten years." admitted Remus.

"Ahem! Nine years, eleven months and 25 days thank you very much!" interrupted Tonks, earning her a laugh form Harry.

"Right, not quite ten years." clarified Remus with a smile as he pulled her towards him for a one armed embrace.

"This is excellent!" Harry exclaimed.

They continued to talk for the rest of the hour as they waited for dinner time to approach. When it was around 7:15, and they still hadn't been called, Harry decided to see what was keeping them.

"Stewy!" called Harry, right before the young elf appeared.

"Yes Harry?" asked the elf.

"Is there a problem? Is dinner ready?"

"Yes Harry. Stewy, Dobby and Winky were just thinking that Harry might to wait a bit since he had just eaten so much at the Gaingers." Stewy told him.

"Thanks for thinking of me Stewy, but I'm alright to eat now. Is everything ready then?" asked Harry.

"Yes Harry. Dobby and Winky is just finishing setting the table, sir." Stewy told him.

"And they're putting spots for themselves and you too, right?"

Stewy cringed, "Yes Harry, we is. But Stewy wants to tell Harry again that it is not proper for us to be eating with Master and his guests."

"I know Stewy, but think of it like this. You are my friends, and I want all my friends eating with me today. It's Christmas. We'll talk about this tomorrow, and then maybe you can help me understand a bit better. For tonight, though, think of this as a gift for me. I would like you there with me, so thank you for being there."

"As you wish, Harry." Stewy bowed, and smiled slightly. He was touched that Harry considered him a friend, but he still wasn't comfortable eating with humans, let alone his master.

Stewy led them to the Dinning Hall

Harry and his friends were seated. The house elves looked particularly uncomfortable, but for their master's sake they were trying to appear content. The portraits and their wives were all present as well as this was a day for families.

Remus and It was during one of the lulls in conversation that Stewy saw the ring on Tonks' finger.

"You is married?" asked Stewy in disbelief since he knew that they hadn't been during the summer when they were staying at the mansion, in different rooms. Not that he was assuming he would have been invited, but he thought that in the very least they'd have asked him to help with the cooking. The elf was only aware of human customs to a certain extent. He knew that all the Potter ladies in the house had a ring on that painted finger, though he never looked that closely, as it would have been rude to stare, to see that they actually had two on.

"No Stewy." picking up on his confusion, "That just means that they are getting ready to be married. He asked, and she accepted." explained Harry, understanding exactly what the small creature was going through. Harry too was a stranger in a world foreign to him. He wished more then once over these last five and a half years that there would have been someone around to explain all these different wizarding customs and rules to him, but that wasn't always the case.

"It's a human custom to 'propose' to a woman, and then if she accepts, then there is a term when the two are engaged to be married. That is where Remus and Tonks are right now. They don't have a specific date set aside yet, but one day, yes, they will be married." Harry finished.

The three house elves were all very excited about this. They explained that marriage was very rare in their culture, as it depended on the master's approval, for when they married, they were bonded for life. If the master ever wanted to get rid of one, the other would go too, since that was the only bond that superceded that of master and elf.

Harry made a mental note to write that down, and reminded the elves about their talk time the next day. After his run in with Hermione earlier, he really wanted to get this little booklet done, hoping that it would answer some of her questions and thus, get him off the hook.

"By the way, Harry, Dumbledore flooed us just as we were getting back to Grimmauld place earlier and asked us to wish you a Happy Christmas. He also said to thank you for the gift, it was his favorite one this year." Remus told him, with a look that told Harry that he was curious what the old headmaster would see as a great gift, but Harry remained silent.

Tonks, on the other hand, wasn't as patient as her husband to be, and was more then a little curious as well, "What did you get him anyways, Harry?"

"A nice pair of self drying and magically warmed socks."

* * *

The next morning, he made his way through his regular morning routine. Even though it was still Christmas day in the outside world, 7 pm to be precise, Harry decided that one day off was more then enough. 

After his routine, he made his way to the kitchen to visit Stewy, Dobby and Winky.

"Good morning Master Harry." said Winky.

"Good morning Winky. How are you this morning?" he asked. He decided not to correct her use of the word master, first of all because he actually was, but he also wanted to hear the elves reasoning for why they do it.

"Winky is doing well. What can Winky be getting you for breakfast today?" she asked.

Harry settled on bacon, eggs and toast, which he chose to eat in the kitchen while he chatted with Winky. After breakfast, he asked her to assemble the other two elves.

The next three hours were spent sitting around and talking. Harry asked them all many questions, which each answered, sometimes very similarly, and sometimes completely different. By the end, Harry had a much better understanding, but at the same time, still had so many questions. He asked them if they would mind doing it again sometime. They all agreed eagerly as they had enjoyed it also.

Harry was surprised at how much house elves were misunderstood. They love to clean, cook and serve. There is no greater honour in their society then to make a wizards life easier, and no greater feeling of satisfaction then when a Wizard thanks them, or tells them they did a good job.

Harry had been right about his initial assessment of house elves. They live to serve. Could they live apart from wizards? Probably, but according to them, why would they want to?

For elves like Dobby, a very small minority, serving has lost its luster because of the constant abuse he received. But for Winky and Stewy, it's their life's ambition. It is, literally, what they love doing most in the world. Harry wished he could be so fortunate in the future. To dedicate his life to the one thing he finds the most satisfying in the whole world. How many Wizards can say that they are doing that?

To a certain extent, Hermione was right. Harry didn't agree with her stance that they should all be freed, they didn't want that after all, but he did think that they should be treated more like equals. That didn't conflict with their views on life, nor with their views on their roles in life. The only reason they now thought it neceassary to be treated as lesser beings, was because wizards had forced that on them. They weren't lesser, just different. They had different roles to full then wizards, but that doesn't mean they should be treated as though they were a sub species. Harry would start there.

After lunch, Harry sat down and began writing down what he had learned, and putting it in a format that is easy to reference, and not too dull to read. He had read enough books himself by now to know what worked and what didn't and was determined to do a good job of it.

His main goal was not to make people think that all elves should be freed, as he didnt' think that would be possible right now, even _if_ the house elves wanted it, but to get the magical comunity to treat this race with the respect it deserves. They care for us, clean up after us, cook and do laudry for us, but they are treated like garbage. They are treated as he was treated for all those years back on Privet Dr. and _that's_ what Harry wanted to change.

By supper he had his first draft completed. His photographic memory and occlumency went a long way in helping him organize his thoughts before even starting to put them on paper. All he had to do now was proof read it a couple of times, and then get someone else to go over it and see if there was anything he missed. He thought he'd start with Remus and then give the post Remus copy to Hermione to see if there was anything the two guys had missed.

At dinner, Harry sat talking about his findings with John and Godric, while Remus chatted with Wolfric about something, that apparently, was rather amusing, and Tonks sat talking with a few of the wives.

"Remus." interrupted Harry, "I was wondering if you would proof read this and write down some of your thoughts or suggestions to improve it." he asked as he handed Remus the book. It was about 200 pages of written information, loosely bound.

"Sure thing cub. What is it?" the werewolf asked as he took the book from Harry.

"It's the house elf culture book we were talking about earlier this week. I talked with them this morning, and wrote it this afternoon." he told him.

"You wrote all this in one afternoon?" asked the disbelieving marauder.

"Ya. It wasn't too hard. I had the information, all I needed to do was put it down on paper." Harry told him with a shrug. "Thanks."

"Not a problem cub. I'll get it back to you as soon as I'm done."

* * *

That evening, Harry made his way up to the Room of Requirement. It had been a rather uneventful day for him, so he decided to get some more work in before heading off to bed. He also wanted to wait for Ginny since the gift he gave her was just a cover, and he wanted to give her her real one while it was still Christmas. 

Half way into his work out, Ginny burst into the room, ran immediately over to Harry and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you so much Harry."

"You're welcome?" he said in confusion as he hugged her back. He wasn't sure what he was being thanked for, but he wasn't about to complain.

She pulled away and looked up at him quizzically, "Do you even know why I'm thanking you?"

"Nope, but anytime you want to thank me like that, feel free." he said with a wink, feeling a little flirtatious.

"You wish Potter!" she said with a smile, as she gave him a punch in the shoulder.

"It was worth a try. Anyways...to what do I owe the pleasure of your thanks?" he asked.

"For talking to Percy. He came to dinner and you should have seen the look of bliss on mum's face all night long. Thank you Harry. You made her Christmas." Ginny told him with a smile.

"You're very welcome." he said, "Not that I did much. It was mostly your work, I'm sure. If you hadn't been talking to him since Penelope left him, I doubt he would have been as receptive." he admitted to her, making reference to the many mental conversations she had been having with Percy over the last month.

"Whether or not that's true isn't the point, so don't down play your part in this. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have come. So thank you." she told him.

"It was nothing, really. How did the others react?" he inquired.

She cringed slightly, "Not as well as mum and me, but not as bad as I had feared. Dad was alright after Percy apologized, but I think the others were just holding back because they saw how happy it was making mum. They ended up setting a date with him, behind her back, where they'd all sit down and 'talk' about things. The first one will be just Bill, Charlie and Percy, cause they're the most levelheaded. Then after Bill and Charlie talk to the twins and Ron, all of us siblings will sit down and talk it over. But I think it'll all work out." she said, with hope clearly evident in her eyes.

"I'm glad to hear it Gin." Harry told her with a smile.

"Good, so I'll let you know when you need to come over for that second meeting." she said as she made her way to the door.

"Me? Why would I be coming?" Harry asked, a tad perplexed.

"I said 'all of us siblings' that includes you mister. You're as much part of this family as he is, and in some ways more. So you're not gonna complain, and you're not gonna sulk, and you _are_ gonna be there when I tell you. Understood?" she told him, as more of a command then a question.

"Yes Ma'am." he proclaimed as he saluted her.

She smiled as she reached over, grabbed his towel and threw it at him, hitting him in the face.

"I'll wait for you to finish up, in the library."

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute." he told her.

She left the room, only to stick her head back in a second later, "And Harry? Don't forget to shower. You stink!"

With a mock glare, he threw the towel back at her, only to miss her as she pulled her head back out of the room too quickly. Harry could hear her laughing as she ran down the hall.

When he entered the library, he saw Ginny curled up on the couch near fire with a book in her lap. For some reason, his thoughts drifted over to Athena and what had happened the day before and he began to feel a bit guilty. He shook his head clear, and reminded himself that Ginny was just a friend, she was dating another friend of his and she was the youngest sister of one of his best friends, before he made his way over to her.

"Here you go." he said, before placing a rather long present in her lap her.

"What's this?" she asked in confusion.

"You're Christmas present." he told her with a smile as he sat himself down next to her on the couch.

She looked at him suspiciously, "But you already gave me my present." she told him, pointing down at the boots she was wearing, "So what is this really."

"It's you're real Christmas present. Those boots were already yours, so they didn't count." he explained.

"No they weren't, I gave them back." she retorted.

"You weren't aloud to give them back, and if I hadn't decided to use them as a fake gift I wouldn't have accepted them back in the first place. You're stuck with them. Now open your present." he told her with a smile and twinkle in his eye.

"Ok, fine...but I'm doing it under protest." she told him jokingly as she tore into the gift before her.

"You...you can't give me these! They're...they're..." she stuttered upon seeing the contents.

"...totally useless to me since I don't use either one of them. Stop complaining. I know you love them, and if only for this war, I want you to have them. If you _really_ don't want them when this is all over, I'll take them back." Harry told her as he watched her pull the Potter rapier out of its sheaf and stared at it. She tore her eyes away from the sword and dirk, and met Harry's, "Besides, what would I do with custom sheaves that have the name 'Ginny' carved into them?"

She had been planning on rejecting the sword and dirk again, but quickly changed her mind, when she saw the joy and happiness in his eyes after seeing how much she liked the gift. She couldn't take that away from him.

"Thank you Harry." she said softly with a small smile.

"What? No hug this time? What a rip!" he teased playfully.

She laughed, "Nope, ho hug, but you will go get your swords and meet me in the Room of Requirement for some heavy dueling tomorrow morning mister."

"Yes Ma'am." he said once more, throwing up a mock salute.

The two continued to laugh and talk till late that night, enjoying each other's company and completely unaware of the horrors that were taking place at that very moment in the outside world.

* * *

"ATTACK!" cried the hooded figure in the rear "Leave none alive, take what you like, and burn the rest to the ground." she reminded them. 

Bellatrix Lestrange was both eager and terrified at that moment. Eager, because she was doing what she loved: amassing power, and punishing the weak, but she was also terrified. Terrified at the thought of what would be awaiting her if she failed tonight.

She had decided to leave nothing to chance, and so planned on visiting each of the sites to make sure her master's wishes were being fulfilled. She knew he was at one of them himself, and so she'd avoid that one, but the others would all get a personal visit from her.

She allowed a few of the lower ranked death eaters to head the charge. There was no point in her getting hurt when it could be avoided. She was glad she had done it too, as she saw one of them flying back out of the door, clearly dead.

'Resistance? We're not supposed to be facing much resistance here!' she thought in a panic. The father worked at a library and the mother was a stay at home mom for goodness sake. There's no way one boy could be giving them this much trouble.

The sight that welcomed her when she entered the home was nothing short of astonishing. The small, third year boy had his mother cowering behind him, and his father casting a protective shield around them as he picked off the death eaters one by one.

She reacted quickly to the red spell that was sent her way, diving to the side, and coming up casting. Her cutting hex bounced off the shield, however, and she had to move again before she could cast another spell as the boy had rightfully pegged her as the largest threat. Next time she came up, though, she threw a curse that they had no way to block with magic.

"AVADA KADAVRA!" she yelled.

The green bolt of energy flew out of her wand and connected solidly with the young boy, sending him flying back into his father. Distracted, and grief stricken, the father could no longer hold the shield, and so the remaining death eaters were able to make short work of the two adults.

Regardless of their pure blood status, and boasts that they were the 13th oldest pureblood family in Britain, they were still blood traitors, and as such had to be taught what happened to wizards who betrayed their blood. They died.

Feeling no remorse at ridding the world or the weakness that was the Wright family, Bella barked out a few last orders before heading to another of the raid sites to insure that it had gone according to plan.

* * *

"Ah, Miss Greengrass. You have fought valiantly, but as you can tell, you do not even have a prayer against me." The Dark Lord taunted. 

The young girl glared defiantly from the floor in from of him with several scrapes on her face, bloodstained clothes, and a broken leg.

"I will give you one last chance, girl. Join me, and I shall let you live." he said.

She had lost her wand after only three spells in her dual against Voldemort, so she did all she could do from her current position. She spat in his face.

As Voldemort wiped off the mixture of blood and saliva, he spoke, "Do be it, young one. CRUCIO!"

Daphne cried out in pain. She had heard Harry talk of this curse. He had described how it felt, and he had been right: No words could ever fully convey the absolute suffering that you're body went through while under it.

"My Lord." someone said.

"Yes?" he replied dangerously, obviously not impressed that he had been interrupted.

"We can't find the youngest one anywhere. She must have fled the house." the unnamed death eater told him, as he cringed visibly.

"FIND HER! KILL HER! Can you not follow my SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS! CRUCIO!" he cast at the man briefly, before yelling again, "I want that child's corpse brought back here and laid beside her parents as I set this house a blaze. You will get her NOW, or you will DIE TRYING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

"Ye...yes my Lord." he stuttered through he pain.

Daphne smiled. Despite the pain still eating away at her from the after affects, despite the fact that Voldemort was standing in front of her, despite the fact that she was about to die, she smiled. Her sister had gotten away. Daphne's final words to her of 'run and find a safe place!' had not gone unheeded.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked his victim.

"She's safe." was all Daphne was able to croak through her bloodied and chapped lips.

In anger, Voldemort aimed his wand at her and yelled, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A still fuming Tom Riddle turned and walked away from the still form of the young girl.

Once outside, his failure of a servant was there waiting for him.

"She...she's gone my Lord." he whimpered, as he prostrated himself at the Dark Lord's feet.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort cried out. Then turning to the others assembled, "THIS is the price of failure! Now return to base."

He turned to the house, and after casting a few incendio's to start up the blaze, he lifted his wand in the air and cast the Dark Mark over the house.

The eerie green skull and snake glistened in the night sky. This symbol or terror was slightly altered, however. This particular symbol had words written beneath it that shone a bright, blood red.

Voldemort smile as he read the words aloud, "Happy Christmas Harry Potter!"

* * *

**AN:** Read, review, thanks.

Farfumsane.


	39. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: **IT'S MINE, MINE...ALL MINE! MUAHAHAHAHA...except for the world...oh...and most of the main characters...and all the proceeds...those aren't mine either...oh ya, and neither are the legal rights to the world...or anything else that was first penned by JKRowling...but everything else...EVERYTHING ELSE IS MINE!

**Chap 38: Aftermath.**

During the next day in the mansion, all four inhabitants were able to remain in the blissful state they were in the day before without any knowledge of the happenings of the outside world.

Ginny and Harry sparred that morning, and Harry found himself on the defensive more often then not.

Remus went through Harry's book, and he and Harry worked it over together that afternoon.

And when they finally went to bed at 11pm Potter Time, it was 5am in the outside world and the morning edition of the paper had just rolled off the press, and the news of what had happened just a few hours before, had just been finished printing on the cover of the Daily Prophet.

* * *

Harry woke up early as usual, but decided to skip his morning routine in favour of satiating the craving for bacon that he had woken up with. He made his way down to the kitchen, and seeing that none of the elves were there, he decided to cook it on his own. 

The kitchen was another of the rooms that his grandfather had 'muggle-ized', which Harry was grateful for as he turned on the stove and got the bacon frying in the pan. Harry was still confused how John was able to simulate electricity in this environment as there was no generator that he had found in the manor. He decided to ask him later and not worry about it right now.

Ginny had gotten up an hour earlier and headed back to the burrow, Remus and Tonks were still in bed, so Harry was left alone with his thoughts.

He saw the Daily Prophet sitting on the table and wondered how early Stewy actually got it here every morning, or every four mornings as the case would be.

Soon after he had looked at the headlines, the paper fell to the floor and the bacon was completely forgotten.

* * *

"Is something burning?" asked Remus as he stepped into the Dinning Hall. 

"Don't know, best to be ready though." replied Tonks as she drew her wand. and started to make her way to the kitchen.

They opened the kitchen door, to find a raging fire on the stove top, and an abandoned Daily Prophet on the floor beside it.

Tonks Put out the fire, as Remus picked up the paper and read the headline.

"Oh no." said Remus.

"What? What is it?" asked a concerned Tonks.

Remus looked up at her with tears in his eyes and handed her the paper.

_HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED SENDS CHRISTMAS GREETING TO THE BOY-WHO-LIVED_

_This photograph is of just one of the four homes that were completely demolished in yesterday's attacks by He-who-must-not-be-named. As you can see, the dark mark hovers above the ashes of this once glorious mansion, but unlike normal the normal symbol, this one carries a postscript: "Happy Christmas Harry Potter!"_

_All five homes attacked belonged to pure blooded families who apparently refused to join the Dark Lord. Among those dead are some of the most respected members of the wizarding community, including Gerald and Georgia Greengrass, and their daughter Daphne who was a sixth year student at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her fellow schoolmate, third year Matthew Wright and his parents Wilfrid and Amanda. Other homes destroyed belongs to the Abbot family, who had been away visiting relatives on Christmas day, and that of the Corner family who despite being home, where able to escape. Also attacked was the Patil family, but they were able to keep the attackers at bay, and even capture two of their number before the rest fled the scene._

_What link these families have to the Boy-who-lived, or why You-know-who would attack them to get to him is the question of the day. But other questions that have arisen seem to focus on the who came out of nowhere this past summer and saved those people in Diagon Alley. Where was the Hero of Diagon Alley during all this? Where has he been since the summer? Though the attacks have been few and far between since then, why hasn't he shown himself? Was he just passing through? Did he leave us to our own devices? Only time will tell. But we do send out a plea to this mysterious saviour: Please help us!_

There was no need to read any more of the article to know what happened in the kitchen that morning, and within seconds, both Remus and Tonks were off to find a broken Harry.

* * *

"Have you found him yet?" asked Godric. 

"We've checked every room with a frame in it, and his not in any of them." Fredric told him.

"You checked the Room of Requirement too?" inquired John.

"I checked it. He wasn't there either." answered Petrius.

The door bust open a second later, and Tonks came tumbling in, "We found him."

"Where?" William asked.

"We think he's locked himself in his room in the master's wing." she explained.

"You 'think'?" inquired David.

"We can't be sure. The door is locked from the inside and magically sealed. We're also assuming he's cast a few silencing charms on the room as well, since we can't hear a thing from it. Remus is waiting by the door, and I was just about to go out to the garden and go through the whole thing once more just to make sure." she told them.

"He knew what he was doing. He didn't want anyone to bother him and so made sure he would not be disturbed." Horass thought aloud.

"Miss Tonks, searching the Garden would be an exercise in futility. With his animagus forms, there is no way you'll find him if he wants to be alone out there. There's also no way of knowing if he's even in the mansion." Godric said.

"He's still here." Tonks told them, "Remus has assured me that he is either here or at Hogwarts. This is his home, this is the only place he feels truly welcome and comfortable apart from Hogwarts. Remus was going to go check the school with the Marauder's Map as soon as I relieve him at the door." Tonks explained.

"Then we shall not keep you, though I warn you, that Marauder's map is not all inclusive. I dare say that thanks to the map in my office, Harry now knows the school much better then the marauders ever could, and could easily be in a place that will not appear on that map." Godric told her.

Tonks nodded somberly, finally seeing the futility of the search and left the room.

"What can we do then, Godric?" asked Horass.

The portrait smiled sadly, and answered, "We wait. That's all we can do."

* * *

"Bloody Hell." muttered Ron as he read the headline of the recently delivered Daily prophet. 

"Ronald! Watch your language!" his mother told him from the other side of the kitchen, "Where are you going?" she ask when she saw him jump up and run upstairs.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

'What the heck is that?' thought a slowly waking Ginny as she heard the banging on her door.

"Ginny! Get up! We have to go find Harry!" she heard her brother yell through the door.

'What the heck is he talking about? Harry's fine. I just got back from his place under an hour ago.' she thought.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"I'm up! I'm up! What's going on? This had better be good!" she warned him as she made her way over to the door groggily.

She opened the door to find the Daily Prophet shoved in her face. She took it out of his hand and read.

"Oh no." she muttered, "I hope he hasn't seen this yet. We better get over there. Gimme five minutes get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs." she told him.

"Right. I'll tell mom, and floo Hermione." he said as she turned and left the doorway of the room.

Ron ran downstairs, and blew past his mother on the way to the fireplace.

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY! What are you doing?" she yelled as he almost ran her over.

"Here!" was his only response as he shoved the paper into his mother's hands.

She gasped as she read it, "Why? Why would _he_ write that to Harry?" she asked.

"They were all in the DA mum. I have to go." her son told her as he continued off towards the fireplace.

"Oh, poor baby." Molly said softly thinking of how Harry was going to react.

Ron practically dove in front of the fireplace, and through in the powder.

"The Granger's" he yelled as the floo flared.

"Hermione? Hermione! Athena? Demeter! ANYBODY?" he yelled into the flame.

"Ron? What's wrong?" Hermione asked as her head appeared in the greenish flame.

"Have you read the prophet yet?" asked Ron.

"I was about to when you called." she answered, a tad impatiently.

"Skim it over while you're getting read. Then meet me at headquarters. And get your sisters. I'm gonna floo Neville and send him to Blaise's. Hurry!" he told her before cutting the connection.

"What the heck was he on about?" she asked as she picked up the prophet beside her and headed off to her room.

Seeing the headline, she stopped dead in her tracks. "ATHENA! DEMETER! GET READY FAST, WE HAVE TO GO!" she hollered, as she ran to her room.

* * *

"NEVILLE!" Ron again called into the fireplace. 

"Ya, Ron, I'm here. The prophet, right?" he asked.

"Ya. I need you to go to see Blaise and be there for him. The triplets, Ginny and I are going to head off Harry. If you need us, call the Burrow and my mom will be able to tell you how to get a hold of us." Ron told him.

"Got it. I'm going now." Neville assured him.

"Good. He's got a big family, so he should be ok, but we take care of our own." Ron said.

"Agreed. I'll come over to the Burrow as soon as I'm sure Blaise is ok." Neville said before he canceled the connection.

Ron got up to see Ginny running down the stairs.

"Let's go." she said as she continued to pull her outer robes on.

"Right." Then he turned his head to the kitchen and yelled, "Mum! We're going. We'll let you know how he's doing the minute we find something out."

"Marauder Mansion!" they yelled as they threw the floo at their feet.

* * *

The five teens met in the living room at Marauder Mansion, ran up to Sirius' room at the top of the stairs and busted through the door in his closet to arrive in the Entrance Hall. 

"Dobby!" called Ginny upon entering.

A very somber looking Dobby appeared a moment later, "Yes miss Ginny? What can Dobby do to help?"

"Where's Harry?" she asked.

Dobby frowned, "He is being up in his room in the masters wing. But he is not letting anyone in. Not even Dobby." He admitted sadly, with tears in his eyes.

"I guess that answers the question of whether or not he knows." muttered Athena

"Don't worry Dobby." she assured him as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It's not your fault. He wouldn't want you to think that. He just got some really bad news. Some of his friends have been killed. We're here to try to help him, but we're gonna need your help to. Ok?"

Dobby nodded and smiled sadly.

"Good. We're gonna go up and try to talk to him. Could you bring up some food at lunch time? We'll try to get him to open up and eat something then." she asked him.

Dobby nodded again, and his smile brightened a little. He'd been given a task. _That_ was something he could handle.

Hermione was getting rather upset about Ginny telling Dobby to do something, but before she could comment, Ginny looked at her.

"Save it Hermione. We have bigger problems. And in case you didn't notice, Dobby needed something to do. He was worried sick." then turning to the others, "Let's go.

Deflated, and having no audience, Hermione huffed and followed along.

They saw Remus and Tonks sitting at the door when they got there.

"Hey guys." their former professor greeted them.

"Hi Remus. How is he?" asked Ron.

"Don't know. He hasn't come out yet. We're not even sure he's in here. It's just our best guess." admitted Tonks.

"He is." Ginny told them, "I asked Dobby."

"Why didn't we think of that?" muttered Tonks to her fiancé.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked an excited Athena as she pointed at the ring on Tonks' finger.

Tonks smiled, "Yes it is. The old wolf finally worked up enough of his Gryffindor courage to ask." she teased as she leaned into the man beside her a little more and smiled.

"Good for you." said Ron, thinking of how totally fricking terrified he would have been in Remus' place.

"Congratulations!" Hermione told them before Demeter too chimed with the same.

Ginny smiled, and said nothing, as she had already talked all about it with Tonks.

The teens joined the two adults on the floor to wait.

After about an hour, Remus spoke up, "There's no point in all of us sitting here. We should do this in shifts. Who knows how long he'll be in there."

"He'll have to use the loo, wont he? We'll see him then." stated Ron.

"No we wont." said Ginny, "He can flash to the washroom if he needs it and then back again with never opening the door."

"Oh." he said sheepishly, "Sorry. Forgot about that."

"That sounds like a good idea professor." said Hermione, "Besides, we have other people we should check up on too."

They had decided to wait in pairs, the first two would be Athena and Tonks, and they'd work out the rest from there. Ron, Demeter and Ginny wrote themselves out of the rotation for a while since they had to slip into the outside world for a bit and Remus and Hermione decided to go to the library for a bit while they waited for their shift to start.

Ron flooed over to Blaise's along with Demeter to see how he was doing, while Ginny went back to the Burrow to talk to her mother to let her know what Harry was up to.

* * *

While in the library, Dobby showed up with food for the two of both Remus and Hermione. After serving them, he looked particularly lost. He had a worried look on his face, and started wringing his hands. 

"Dobby?" asked Remus.

"Yes Mr. Moony?" responded Dobby.

"You can come back later to get the dishes if you like. Why don't you go over to Grimmauld place and help Winky with some of the cleaning for now. Time will pass quicker there, and we'll send word as soon as Harry comes out."

Dobby smiled, "Yes sir, Mr. Moony. Thank you."

"No problem Dobby." Remus told him with a smile.

Dobby bowed slightly before disappearing.

Hermione was not impressed. She wasn't very happy about what her former professor had just done, but wasn't sure how to bring up the subject.

Seeing her inner turmoil, the werewolf decided to have pity on her, and bring the subject up himself.

"I was helping him Hermione." Remus stated.

Unable to hold her tongue, she responded hotly, "How is treating them like slaves helping them!"

"Hermione, you have no idea what you're talking about." he started patiently, "You have to stop thinking of them as little humans. They're not. What you need to know is that their mind works in a totally different way then ours. They _need_ direction. By giving them something to do, they can start to cope. Here." he said as he reached beside him and handed her the book he had been leafing through, "Read this. It's a rather in depth view of the House Elven psyche. Before you jump to conclusions, or attack anyone else again, please read it." he asked politely.

Hesitantly, she reached out and took the book. She really wanted to lay into him, but her curiosity at the contents of the book won out.

"Fine!" she said as she opened it and scanned the first page, "Why haven't seen it before? I looked for everything on House Elves a couple of years ago." she admitted.

"It's relatively new. Just read it. It totally changed my views on house elves." the werewolf told her with a knowing grin.

As she started reading it, she was impressed. It was well written, and held the elves in very high esteem, "Who wrote it?" she asked after about 30 pages.

"Just read it. I'll tell you after if you haven't figured it out by then." Moony assured her with a smile. She reminded him so much of himself, always curious, with an insatiable hunger for knowledge.

A few hours later, when the two of them were on guard duty, Hermione finally got to the last page.

Her facial expression changed to one of shock and surprise, and then she read, "The author would like to thank the house elves Stewy, Winky and Dobby for their time, and honesty in answering my questions, and helping me to better understand their race as a whole."

She looked up in awe and asked, "Did you write this?"

Remus smiled, "Before I answer that, tell me what you thought of the book."

"I never knew. I always treated them like little humans, but...well...I guess they're not." she said guiltily. "As much as I don't want to accept it, and I want them to be free, I first and foremost want them to be happy. Thank you for explaining it to me." she told him.

"Don't thank me, I'm just the editor." he told her with a grin.

If Hermione was surprised before she was flabbergasted now, "You don't mean...Harry?"

Remus smiled and nodded.

"When did he find time to write this?" she asked, opening the book again and looking at it trying to see Harry in it's pages.

"He met with them the morning after Christmas dinner here in the mansion, which was Christmas evening outside, and had it written by the end of the day." he told her, his pride evident in his voice.

"He wrote this in an afternoon? With only a morning of research?" she asked, still in a state of shock.

"First of all, the fact that all those spells he cast on himself and his occlumency helped him so much that what you read was pretty much his first draft with only a few corrections." he told her,"And as for his research time, yes, his formal research only took a morning, but Harry has also had many experiences with Dobby, Winky and a bunch of other house elves over the last few years. For example, let me tell you something that he told me that isn't written in the book. Did you know, that the house elves at Hogwarts are so against freedom, they refused to clean Gryffindor tower last year? Dobby was doing it all by himself, and keeping all your hats for himself." he told her, not to upset her, but to prove his point.

Hermione looked even more guilty then before, "I didn't know that." she admitted. Hermione had wanted to help the elves, and ended up just making Dobby's workload even greater.

"Don't feel bad. Dobby was actually extatic. Even though he wants to be free, he was about to claim Gryffindor Tower as his territory. As the place that he is responsible for, just him, and this made him very happy. Especially after having to serve the Malfoys for so long. This was a great improvement for him, and helped him work through his feelings about that past life. House elves use work not only to cope, but to heal." he assured her.

"So I read." she said with a grin as she held up the book in her hand.

* * *

The next week, Potter Time, went by much the same. Harry had not left his room, and there had always been someone outside the door waiting for him to come out. 

Harry wasn't the only one in mourning. Blaise had taken the news hard as well, but unlike Harry, did not go into hiding. Having had a family all his life, he knew the support that was available from them, and was also extremely grateful at the show of support from his fellow DA members. The Mansion group weren't the only ones wishing him their condolences, as a large number of students both dropped by and sent him letters of encouragement. They would have done the same for Harry, had they known were to reach him.

The Mansion group all wished they could do more for Harry too, but were just as powerless to help as everyone else. All they could do was sit and wait for Harry to come out of his self proclaimed exile long enough to talk to them.

Ginny especially, who had helped him out of his funk the summer before, was feeling particularly useless. It had been a week since Harry had last spoken with her in her mind, and she wasn't used to these long periods of silence. The longest he had gone without talking with her since he found out that voice was hers was a day, tops. She found that she was really missing her friend.

Regardless of their lack of progress, they stayed. In groups of two or three they'd take shifts sitting at the door in silent support, and waited.

Nine days later, Potter time, Athena, Demeter and Neville were sitting by he door. Ron had flooed the headmaster not long after leaving the Mansion, and asked if he could come over and give Neville access to Marauder Mansion, as he was still the secret keeper. Ron informed him how Harry had locked himself in a room, and so Dumbledore agreed and told Neville the address.

Seeing her sister and Neville flirting heavily, Athena started looking around for something else to do. Seeing nothing else around, her curiosity got the better of her, and she reached out and tried to open the handle.

Much to her surprise, the handle turned.

Looking over at the other two on watch, Athena saw that they were so engrossed in each other they she decided to slip into Harry's room without telling them.

She stepped into the room, and closed the door quietly behind her before looking around the room.

The room itself was very clean and tidy. There were two very comfortable chair placed across from each other with a small end table between them, but Harry wasn't sitting in either. Harry was sitting in the middle of the room, on the floor, cross-legged, and with his hands on his knees.

"H...Harry?" she asked tentatively.

"Hello Athena." he replied evenly, without turning around, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, but I'm more worried about you. How are _you_ doing?" she asked with true concern.

"I want to say 'I'm fine' but then again, I always say I'm fine, so it wouldn't do much to put your mind at ease." he stated, "Let's just say I'm better, and I _will_ be fine." he finished, before getting up and facing the young lady at the door.

Harry motioned for her to sit in one of the comfy chairs with a wave of his hand, before he himself went and sat in the other. Athena joined them, and Harry was the one who started talking.

"How's Blaise?" he asked with concern and a frown.

Athena frowned, "He's been better, but he's doing alright. It's been just over 48 hours for him though, so the feeling is much fresher." she told him.

Harry nodded in understanding. He had forgotten about the time difference between his secret sanctuary and the outside world. "I'll go see him tomorrow then."

"I'll go with you." Athena said in support, "But first, I want to know how you are. What have you been doing in here? do you need anything?"

"I pretty much spent the first four days crying, and feeling sorry for myself, but then I started to remember. I remembered what I went through with Cedric and Sirius, and how I got over that, and the advice that people kept giving me. Soon I stopped crying and cast a quick spell and saw you guys sitting outside waiting for me." Harry said, looking off in the distance without showing much emotion, "I admit, at first I wasn't impressed. I wasn't happy that you all thought I needed protecting, and that you pitied me so much." she tried to retort, but Harry raised his hand and stopped her, "I eventually realized that it wasn't the case. It took a bit, but I finally figured out that you were there because you cared and were worried. Don't worry. I am very grateful. Thank you." he assured her with a sad smile.

"You're very welcome Harry." Athena smiled back.

"I then started meditating, practicing occlumency and organizing my mind. About two days ago, I unlocked the door and continued my meditation." he smirked slightly, "I was wondering who would be the first to check."

"The door has been unlocked for two days? And you didn't come out?" she asked in slight disbelief.

"No, I still needed some time alone, but wanted to make sure that you guys could reach me if you felt the need." he told her.

"Well...thank you for that." Athena said, before smiling, "I needed to get out of there before Neville and Demeter started snogging uncontrollably and I was forced to watch." she smirked.

This earned her a small smile from Harry, "I've noticed their about as clueless as your other sister and Ron." Harry replied, causing Athena to laugh lightly.

"So...what now?" asked Athena.

"I guess I should go out there and prepare for a pity party." grumbled Harry.

"Harry, you know we care and that's why. Remus has been doing a good job of reminding us not to handle you like a breakable object." She told him, thinking at the back of her mind exactly how she _would_ like to be handling him, "Besides, I'll be right there with you." she said, as she took his hand and pulled him out of his seat.

Harry reluctantly stood, but once up, gave the girl in front of him a small smile and hugged her. A hug she returned eagerly. Harry then gave her a kiss on the cheek when the hug ended and said, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." she told him, almost glowing.

With that, they turned and headed for the door hand in hand.

* * *

Dinner that night started in apparent uncomfortable silence, as everyone wanted to help Harry, but no one knew exactly what to say. But to say that he wasn't talking to anyone wasn't necessarily true. 

_How are you Harry?_ She asked in concern, _How are you really._

'I'm better.' he answered, 'How are you?'

_I've been better._ She told him honestly, _Did you know that this was the longest I had gone without talking to you since this summer?_ She asked, in a pained mental voice.

Harry, who hadn't realized how much his seclusion had affected his friends, apologized, 'I'm sorry Gin. I thought I needed some time alone to think about it.'

_Like this summer? As I recall, had I left you to your own devices we'd STILL be waiting for you to write us back._ She replied, more hurt then angry.

Harry thought about it, then sighed audibly, 'You're right Gin. I'm sorry. Really. I never meant to hurt you, any of you. I promise never to block you out for that long again. Especially when I'm having a rough patch. I promise' he sent her, before looking up and sending her a small smile. She returned the smile before looking back down at her meal and continuing to eat.

"I'm sorry everyone." Harry said aloud, "I shouldn't have worried you, and though I did need some time alone, I should have at least told one of you that I was ok before I hid myself away like that."

"It's ok Harry." Ron said in consolation, "We do understand, and I know that I, for one, am not angry with you at all. I was just worried mate."

"Thanks Ron." Harry replied with only the barest hint of emotion, "I'm going to visit Blaise tomorrow, anyone who wants to come along is welcome to join me. I know that Athena..."

_Me too!_ Ginny interrupted mentally.

"...and Ginny have already told they wanted to come. I'll let you know when I plan on leaving at breakfast." he told them.

"We're with you Harry." Hermione assured him.

The rest of the meal passed more comfortably as they chatted about various topics, and filled Harry in on how they spent the rest of their Christmas day after he had left.

* * *

The next day, as he had said, Harry flooed over to Blaise's with the mansion group to pass on his condolences and do his best to support his friend. 

Blaise met them all, a little more awkwardly then last time, and can't seem to make eye contact with Harry at all. As the heads of all the departments were there, they decided to have a quick meeting to discuss the situation and see how things could have happened.

After throwing up every privacy spell they could think of around Blaise's room, they got down to business.

"There's a spy in the DA." stated Harry matter-of-factly, "What we need to figure out is who, and how."

Ron was the first to speak, "I contacted the rest of my group and discussed it with them yesterday individually. Zacharias made the comment that someone must have found a way around the paper, as did Tracey and I agree with them, but Terry was adamant that it couldn't be possible. He said that since you, Harry, made it yourself, it must be darned near impossible, even for a Ravenclaw."

"I have to agree with the majority on this one." said Neville. "But does that mean someone beat Harry's spells?"

"They must've." said Blaise finally trusting his voice. "There's no other way they could have known about Matthiew or Daph...or...Daph..." but he just couldn't say the word. Ginny leaned over and took hold of him as he struggled not to break down in front of the rest of the group, determined to be Slytherin and not show his weakness to others.

Everyone went quiet for a bit, concerned for their friend. Blaise finally looked up with anger burning in his eyes and glared at Harry, "You said you'd protect us! You...you said you'd help!" he said loudly, in an accusing tone. "Now what? Daphne's GONE! SHE'S DEAD! And she's _NEVER_ coming back! What are you going to do now? HUH? WHAT! What are you going to do...what am I going to do..." he then asked quietly, his voice trailing off as he strated to stare down at his hands. It was obvious that Blaise really wasn't mad at Harry, he was just devastated at losing Daphne, but Harry couldn't see that. He DID feel responsible, and had ever since it had happened.

"I'm sorry Blaise. You're right. I did promise, and now look." Harry paused, with a new batch of tears forming in his eyes, "Excuse me." said their leader, as he got up and left the room. As soon as he was out of sight, he flashed back to the mansion.

* * *

KNOCK, KNOCK, "Harry?" the person on the other side of the door asked, "Can we come in." 

Harry returned to his room, and locked the door, but unlike last time, he didn't throw up the silencing charm.

"Why?" he asked, in a strained voice, "Why would you want to come in? There's nothing in here but me and a couple of chairs!" he said, his voice started to rise in anger and frustration, "If you want the chairs that badly I guess it would be fine, cause you couldn't be wanting to see me. You can't care for ME! I FAIL EVERYONE WHO CARES FOR ME AND THEY **_DIE_**!" he screamed. "Just leave. Leave me alone." he muttered before he threw up a silencing charm.

_Harry? You know that's not true don't you? We all care for you. You haven't let us down_. Ginny thought in comfort.

'I wont block you Gin, because I said I wouldn't. Even if I can't do anything else, I will keep my word. But please, just give me some time? I need to think. I wont go anywhere, I wont do anything rash, I just...I just need some time. Please?' he send her in a pleading mental voice.

Ginny sighed, _I'll give you a day Harry, then I'm gonna bug you til you come out of that room to shut me up. If you really want time, I can do that for you, but please remember that we love you too much to let you suffer alone._ She replied.

'Thanks Gin. I'll hear from you tomorrow then.' he sent, before beginning his occlumency exercises.

The next day, just as Ginny was about to send him another message, Harry stepped out of his room.

"It wasn't your fault Harry." Hermione started, predictably.

"Blaise wanted to apologize. He didn't mean it, and he feels terrible that he let off on you like that." Ron explained.

Harry actually smiled a bit, and chuckled.

"What?" asked Ginny, who was looking at him curiously.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Ronald Billius Weasley would stand up to his best friend on behalf of a Slytherin." he grinned, before putting his had on his embarrassed friend's shoulder, "Good on you Ron."

"How are you doing, Harry?" asked a concerned Athena.

Harry turned to her, and smiled slightly, "Better."

She smiled in returned and pulled him into a compassionate hug.

His friends stayed for a few more days, Potter time, to make sure that Harry was indeed doing better, before heading back to their homes for the last remaining days of the Christmas holidays. This left Harry to his thoughts and training, which he picked up again with extra dedication, pushing himself harder then usual.

Tonks and Remus did their best to get the young man's spirits up, as did the portraits, but nothing really seemed to work. Oh, he laughed, and smiled, but there was no real joy, there was no excitement of life as there had been that last summer, of even just a few days earlier. There was just Harry Potter, The-boy-who-lived-to-see-too-much-suffering-and-death. They all just hoped that somehow, something would pull him out of his slump.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks again for all the feedback. Keep it coming. 

Farfumsane.


	40. Survivors

**Disclaimer:** um...ya...It's not mine.

**Chap 39: Survivors**

"Harry," Ginny said on their last night in the manor before returning to school, "I've been thinking about how you've been having so much problems getting out of this depression." she said, not beating around the bush.

Harry nodded his head slightly, not really wanting to say anything, but curious as to where she was going with this.

"You told be once that you'd been having problems with your empath ability, and how it seemed to be amplifying you emotions, and you were having problems keeping it under control. Do you think this could be part of the problem?" she wondered aloud.

Harry continued to sit there and didn't say a word as he reflected on what she had said.

"Harry?" she prompted after a couple minutes of silence, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that you might actually be right for a change." he said with a grin.

She was pleased. It was good to see him smile again, even if it was just a small one. "And this surprises you? When it comes to you, and how you're feeling, I seem to be right more often then you are mister." she told him in mock sternness, which earned her another smile from her friend.

"Thanks Gin. I think I'm gonna go to bed." he pulled himself up form his comfortable chair in the library, walked over to her, and gave her a hug, "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes." he whispered to her before standing back up, and heading for the door.

"Goodnight." Harry told her when he had reached the door.

"Goodnight Harry." Ginny replied, as she successfully hid the small blush that had arisen on her cheeks.

Harry smiled faintly and headed off to bed.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Harry's mood had been noticeably improved. 

"Good morning my young heir. I'm glad to see you appear to be doing better this morning. Is there any red-headed reason for your improved mood today?" asked the portrait cheekily.

Harry glared at the portrait, "After a long conversation, and a very astute observation by my FRIEND, Ginny, I realized that my empathic ability had been amplifying my sorrow. I spent an hour last night and then another this morning in meditation sorting out my emotions, and focusing on the better ones."

"Harry?" started John from his other side, "suppressing it wont help you deal with it." he told Harry in a concerned voice.

"I'm not suppressing it. It's more like, allowing it to run its course, but just not focusing on it. At any given point in time, a person has the ability to feel more then one emotion. I just choose to focus right now on the fact that I still have great friends who care deeply for me, and not on the feeling of loss I'm experiencing at losing some of them." Harry explained in an assuring tone.

John smiled, "Good for you Harry." Many of the portraits agreed with John with either nods, or muttered words of approval.

"Thanks." Harry told them, "It's about time I get going. I want to get to the station before everyone else so that I can slip onto the train and hide in a cabin before the platform fills up."

After he said his goodbyes, he stepped out of his mansion, folded down the door, stuck the cube in his pocket, and flashed to platform 9 and 3/4.

* * *

"Hurry up Ron or we'll be late!" Ginny shouted as they burst their way through the gate, "I can't believe it took you that long to pack." 

Once safely on the train, Ron mumbled, "I didn't want to forget anything."

"I'm sure if you forgot something, Harry would have been happy to flash back and get it for you. Just be glad you didn't make us miss the train, or I would have kicked your ass!" she said, as they continued the playful sibling banter and made their way down the hallway of the train.

Soon, Ron excused himself to go to the meeting before he left Ginny to continue her search for a compartment.

"Hello, Weasley." said a girl in falsely sweet voice.

Ginny cringed as she recognized the voice, "Ambers." she responded curtly before she turned to face her adversary.

"Looking forward to the coming of this next term, Weasley? I know I am. Yet another term of me doing better then you, and everyone else of course." she said in a taunting fashion.

Ginny really disliked this girl, but unlike Malfoy, Ambers never attacked Ginny's family or lack of wealth, she only ever mocked Ginny for things that were within Ginny's ability to control which actually made the insults hold more meaning.

"I wouldn't bet on it Ambers. I have a feeling that this year's OWL scores will be bringing you some rather unpleasant surprises." Ginny said with a smirk, thinking about all the time she'd been studying and working in the mansion.

"Keep dreaming Weasley. Just because you're dating the Boy-who-lived doesn't mean your marks are going to improve." she sneered in a disturbingly Snape like fashion.

"He's not my boyfriend." Ginny snapped back.

Lea's sneer changed to an evil smirk, "Oh that's right, you weren't able to get him were you? How's the one you ended up settling for anyway...what's his name again? Filch-Fencing? Flash-Forward? False-Fancy?"

"Finch-Fletchy! Justin Finch-Fletchy" Ginny corrected her, barely controlling her rage.

"Come on Lea, we better hurry back to our compartment if we don't want someone to take it from us." another girl interrupted as she saw someone coming over to join them.

"Alright, Allison, I'm coming." replied Ambers as Harry stepped up beside Ginny, "Oh look Ginny, it's your non-boyfriend. See you later." she concluded before turning and walking down the hall laughing out loud.

"What did she want?" asked Harry. He was confused as to why Lea Ambers had just called him Ginny's non-boyfriend, but decided not to ask as it seemed to upset his friend.

"Nothing!" Ginny responded, in a less then pleasant tone of voice. When she realized who she was talking to, though, she apologized, "Sorry Harry. I don't mean to take it out on you. She just makes me so...mad!" she said, practically growling the last word.

Harry smiled, "No problem Gin. Follow me, I've already found some seats." he said as he put his arm around her shoulders, which seemed to calm her a little bit, and lead her back to his compartment.

They got to the compartment shortly before the train started moving, sat down and chatted about nothing in particular as they waited for Ron and Hermione to get back from their prefects' meeting.

The door opened a couple of times with members of the DA saying hello and asking how their holidays had been. Occasionally the conversation would turn towards their fallen friends, but usually the topics were kept light.

At one point, the door had burst open, and two practically identical girls had literally thrown themselves on Harry and kissed him on either cheek, smiled brightly and hugged him tightly.

Still holding on to him, they both looked up.

"Thank you so much Harry." started Padma.

"If it hadn't been for you, my family never would have survived. I was able to throw up some shields as Padma patched up my father after the initial explosion." Parvati added.

"If it hadn't been for the training you gave us, we would have been overwhelmed, but instead, we were able to take control, calm everyone, and organize a good defense." Padma elaborated.

Harry smiled slightly. 'Maybe I really am making a difference.' he thought.

_Of course you are. That's what we've been trying to tell you all along!_ Countered Ginny. _Now say something to the two girls you're actually **holding** as opposed to the one you're secretly chatting with at the other end of the compartment. _She teased.

"You're welcome. But I didn't do that much. I just helped you achieve what you were already capable of. Most of the credit should go to you two. Good job." he told them as he returned their hugs, and gave each one a small kiss on the cheek. "And thank you for your encouragement. I really appreciate it." he added with a charming smile.

With identical looks of disbelief on both of their faces at the peck they had just received, they slowly separated themselves from him and blushed. They then said their goodbyes, still rather embarrassed, and left together with big smiles on both of their faces.

_Flirt!_ Ginny teased.

'And? Your point is?' Harry countered with a grin.

Over the past year, the changes in Harry were definitely becoming more and more visible. Kissing the two of them, and being calm and comfortable while doing in, were some things he never would have been able to do even just last year. But after his time in the manor, the official etiquette lessons from Joseph's portrait and the unofficial ones given to him by Tonks, the young hero's self confidence had definitely improved. Ginny could hardly believe this was the same boy who ran away from the groups of girls earlier this year.

Soon after the twins had left, Justin entered and saw Ginny and Harry. Harry could have sworn he saw a scowl of frustration on the boy's face, but it passed so quickly into a frown, that Harry thought he must have imagined it.

"Hey guys." Justin started, "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to Daphne and Matthew. They were good people."

Harry nodded in agreement, his previous happy mood now completely gone.

Justin smiled to himself and turned to Ginny, "Wanna come join us in our compartment? I'd been saving you a place, but you never showed up."

Seeing Harry's now glum mood, she asked, _You ok Harry? You want me to stay?_

'No Gin, I'm fine. You go on. I'm sure I wont be alone for long.' he sent back.

"Sure thing." she said to Justin with a smile, "Let's go. I'll see you later Harry." Ginny told him as she got up and followed Justin out of the room.

"See ya." he called back before she had left.

A couple of minutes later, while sitting back with his eyes closed, he heard the door, so he opened his eyes to find Michael Corner coming in.

Harry's guilt kicked in again as he thought of the Corner family being without a home now.

"I'm sorry Michael..." but was cut off from his apologies by a solid, brotherly hug from the Ravenclaw.

Michael took a step back from Harry and placed one hand on his shoulder. Justin looked Harry straight in the eyes and said, "You have nothing to be sorry for Harry. I came in here to thank you, but I honestly don't know how I can ever thank you enough. As soon as I got home, I started telling my parents about things I had learned, not about the DA itself of course, I just told them I learned it in school. They were so interested that they asked me to show them some, they were both Ravenclaws too, and never pass up an opportunity to learn something new. I ended up showing them some of the shields and evasive spells we had learned, and had even started with some of the attack spells before the attack."

Justin took a shaky breath despite his good mood as he thought back on that night, "During that fight, my parents used nothing but the spells I had taught them. The ones that _you_ had shown me. If it wasn't for those spells and the time you took to teach them to us, my family and I never would have made it out of there alive. My family means everything to me Harry, and without you, I wouldn't have them anymore."

"But...but if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been attacked in the first place!" Harry countered, trying in vain to justify his own guilt.

"No Harry, we wouldn't have been safe. We're a pure blood family on the light side. We're blood traitors, remember? They would have attacked us eventually, but with your help, we were able to defend ourselves. Sure, we lost some of our earthly possessions, but nothing that can't be replaced. So don't blame yourself for things you couldn't control. It's not your fault Voldemort's an asshole." Michael added with a slight grin.

Despite his mood, Harry smiled at Michael's words. They sat down across from each other and chatted for a bit, during which time Athena, Demeter and Neville finally found them.

"See? I told you we should have started at this end of the train!" said a frustrated Athena.

"We flipped a knut, it was obviously destiny that we didn't find him sooner. It was foretold that our meeting would be later rather then sooner. Oh no...is that a Grimm? You poor, poor boy." replied Neville, in a mystical, Trelawny type voice, much to the amusement of the others present. Neville and Demeter sat together while Athena sat right next to Harry and smiled, one which he returned as he put his arm around her.

Michael raised an eyebrow at the seating arrangement, but Harry just shrugged. The-boy-who-lived didn't know how to identify his relationship with Athena, all he knew was that they were having fun: nothing more, nothing less. He promised himself, yet again, to talk to her about it sometime, but for now, he'd just let things go as they were.

They five of them spent the next ten minutes or so chatting until Ron and Hermione showed up.

"What took you guys so long?" asked Michael Corner, "We got out of the meeting half an hour ago."

They both blushed slightly, "We got a little...side tracked." Ron muttered, to which the other five burst out laughing.

"Well then. On that note, I think I'll be leaving. See you guys later." said Michael as he got up and left the room to the chorus of goodbyes form the other occupants.

* * *

The rest of the train ride had been uneventful. Shortly after Michael's departure, Blaise had entered and apologized to Harry for his earlier reaction. Harry had, of course, forgiven him, and then in turn asked for Blaise's forgiveness for not keeping his promise of protection. Blaise basically told him to shut up, and that it wasn't his fault. There was no way he could have known about the attack, and it was only a matter of time before they would have attacked anyways. But to make Harry feel better, he had accepted his apology. 

Now, back at the school, the mansion group, minus Ginny, made their way up tot he DA common room before the feast to have a quick meeting as they found themselves with an hour to kill.

They sat around the table in the DA strategy room to discussed the possibilities of who the spy was and how they were going to flush him out. They hoped to have some sort of plan of attack before they headed down to tonight's feast.

"Malfoy has to be involved somehow." Harry stated.

"Malfoy? That pompous git? Up until this year that ponce had been all mouth and no quaffles. What makes you think that's changed?" Ron asked.

"I just can't help it, Ron. He's just been WAY to quiet this past semester, and after the last run in I had with him over Sally-Ann, I'm starting to get a little worried." Harry admitted.

"After what Harry told us happened, and after the humiliation you gave him in DADA after that day, I would have expected retaliation, but he hasn't. I have to agree with him Ron, I'm starting to worry too." Hermione analyzed.

"Same here." Blaise piped in, "It's just not like him, he's a lot more confident and a lot less OVER confident this year, especially in the Slytherin Common Room. He used to be a mouthpiece, and I preferred him that way. This new, quiet, pensive Malfoy is rather disconcerting. Something's up."

As Blaise and the mansion group continued their discussion, the DA ghost made her appearance and chimed in with a suggestion.

"I could follow him." she said simply.

"Pardon?" asked Harry.

"I said, I could follow him. We ghosts have a lot of unique abilities you know: completely silent, pass through walls, become totally invisible at will. Myrtles been using these skills successfully for years to spy on the boys in the prefect bathroom." the ghost with the dangly butterbeer cap earrings explained.

"She WHAT?" Ron practically yelled, much to the amusement of the others, "I feel so...dirty" he grimmaced, only doubling the laughter about him.

Diverting the attention from her thoroughly embarrassed boyfriend, Hermione spoke up, "I think that would be a great idea. That way we might be able to figure this out. And if Draco is the contact for the spy, we will be able to find out who they are too."

Harry turned to Luna, "Is it completely safe for you?" he asked in all honesty, "I don't want him exercising you, or sending you to hell, or binding you inside an object for all eternity." he said in a level voice, killing the last remnants of chuckling that had been coming from Athena and Ginny.

"Of course it's not _completely_ safe silly. But since when has that stopped me? Or you for that matter? Besides, I've lost interest in finding the lost colony of Zikly Cartongs that I know are around Hogwarts somewhere. Their ability to teleport their homes and become invisible at will makes them far too elusive. This will be a good break for a while." she said honestly.

Sometimes, Harry wondered if she really was that odd, or if it was all just an act. She always seemed to say things like that when a situation needed lightening up. One day he'd have to ask her.

"If you're sure Luna. I'm not gonna make you do this." Harry told her.

"Of course you wont. That's why I chose to follow _you_, Harry. You would never ask someone to do something that might be dangerous for them, even if its rewards are far greater then its risks." she said before smiling and drifting through the nearest wall.

"She's right you know." Neville said after a couple of seconds of silence.

"Yeah, Harry is like that." Hermione said.

"Oh, that too I guess, but I meant that I would probably give up on finding the Zikly Cartongs too if they had those kind of abilities. I can only take so much failure you know." Neville said straight faced, before the entire room, Neville included, broke down in fits of laughter.

* * *

During the welcome back feast, Harry did his best to enjoy himself, but couldn't help but remember the friends he had lost. The ones that, because of what had happened over the break, weren't sitting here in the Great Hall and enjoying the delicious food. It was a silly thing to think about. There are, after all, much better things to being alive then the food, but when one is mourning, the smallest thing can set them off. 

It was while Harry was lost in his thoughts of the roast beef before him that he was hugged from behind. He felt the note being slipped into his robe's pocket before the person let go of him and allowed him to turn around.

Sally-Ann didn't say anything after that, she merely smiled before turning and going back to her seat at the Slytherin table.

"That was nice of her." Athena said, attempting not to sound jealous.

"Yes it was." Harry admitted, before sliding his arm around her shoulders, "But it's also been very nice of you to be here for me as well. It's meant a lot to me." he told her, before giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

Athena couldn't help but smile and blush a little, as she muttered a 'you're welcome'. She wasn't so much embarrassed as surprised.

"Thank you all for putting up with me tonight." Harry said, addressing the rest of his friends present at the Gryffindor table, "I haven't been the best of company, but I want you to know I appreciate it. I'm gonna head off to bed early tonight. I'll see you all tomorrow."

'_Or tonight.'_ sent Ginny who was sitting with them this evening.

'Yes Gin, I'll see you tonight.' thought Harry.

'_Good! Cause we need to figure out whether or not you have any Tiassas in the Eden of yours, or if we're gonna have to figure something else out.' _she send back.

'Just using me for my paradise then are you? And here I thought it was because you couldn't get enough of my charming personality.' Harry responded in a mock hurt mental voice.

Ginny just smiled sweetly and, along with everyone else, wished him a good night and pleasant dreams.

* * *

_H_

_Meet me in our room. Tonight. 11pm._

_S_

Harry looked up from the note and at the clock in the room.

'The note says 11, so where is she?' he thought to himself after making sure his mental shields were in place. It was currently 11:30, and Harry had been waiting about 45 minutes now for his friend to arrive.

After the feast, he had sent up the Mansion in Godric's office, and then asked Stewy to give Ginny a message that he had some errands to run tonight, and not to be surprised if he wasn't there. Then, he had flashed to his and Sally-Ann's room to wait.

And wait he did.

When the portrait hole finally opened, Harry let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Where have you been? Are you ok? What happened?" Harry shot off before she had even fully entered the room.

"Calm down!" she told him before shooting off a grin in his direction, "If you must know, I was delayed on the way out of the feast, but it's ok. It wasn't a bad thing." she said with a wistful smile.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Oh really. Is there any point in me asking you who it was who ambushed you?" he asked.

"No, you may not." she said with a smile, "That's not the reason I called you down here."

Harry waited for her to sit before asking, "Then why did you invite me?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I didn't get a chance to talk to you since the holidays started, and I wanted to make sure you were ok." she told him in all honesty, "Maybe talk about us. What you're thinking."

"I'm fine." he muttered, suddenly no longer interested in having a conversation.

"That's funny, cause to me it looks like you're really depressed and blaming yourself for both the attacks and our spoiled relationship. Am I right?" she prodded.

"Well it was." he sighed, struggling against his emotions, "I'm the one with trust issues. I'm the one who promised to protect you, protect her, and I failed."

"Must be nice!" she said accusingly, "It must be nice to have the power to affect the whole world. Is it you Harry? Are you the one who tells the sun to rise in the morning and set at night? Funny, I thought you were just 16, but apparently, everything in this entire world is your fault! NO! You will listen until I finish!" she said, seeing him wanting to speak. "As much as these incidents are related to you, and I wont say that they aren't, they are NOT your fault. Only someone with super-sized ego could ever think that he had the ability to stop FIVE simultaneous attacks.

"And as for what went on between you and me, then yes, I will admit that it is partially your fault, but if you think that I'm innocent in all of this, then you're blind! I was the one who pushed you when you weren't ready, that was my fault. I am the one who can't date someone who doesn't tell her every single detail of their life, and that's not your fault, I get that from my mom. So if you want to blame someone for that, you can blame her, but if you think I'm gonna let you take all the blame, just to make me feel better about myself, then you have another thing coming!"

Seeing that she was finally finished, he began, "But the deaths _are_ my fault. If they hadn't been in the DA, then they wouldn't have been killed. Their families wouldn't have died."

"Is that so? So you went out, and forced them to join did you? Made them come to EVERY meeting at wand point? You coerced them and lied to them to make them follow you blindly and without question? Is that it?" she challenged.

"You don't understand!" he said, sulking.

"No, you're right, I don't. I don't understand how someone could be so blind to the truth. I don't understand how someone who would willingly give up his life to save a complete stranger, could feel guilty when someone else does it for a loved one. I don't understand how someone like you, who gives so many people hope, could have absolutely none of your own. That's what I don't understand." she said softly.

He looked up, with tears in his eyes, but not saying anything.

"Harry? Could you do me a favour?" she asked.

"That all depends." he admitted.

"I know you can travel like a phoenix, and I'm assuming you can take someone with you?" he nodded, "Ok, could you take me somewhere? I have something to show you."

"But if we're caught we'll get in a lot of trouble for going off school property." he said rather lamely.

"And that's stopped you before?" she asked, causing him to smile slightly, "I didn't think so." she responded, and then smiled herself.

"Ok." he agreed.

"Great, I'd like you to take me to my uncle and aunt's place." she then told him the location, and they were off.

A couple of minutes later, Sally-Ann knocked on the door of the house they had arrived in front of.

"Hello?" asked a voice from the other side, without opening the door.

"Uncle Bill? It's me, Sally-Ann. Could we come in for a bit?" she asked pleasantly.

"Sally-Ann? But you're supposed to be at Hogwarts! How do I know it's really you?" he asked skeptically.

"If you don't let me in, I'll tell my friend here about the time you and I went out fishing, and how afterwards you had to live with the after affects of bad gilly weed, a reverse bubblehead charm and ten tadpoles." she threatened amusedly.

Harry heard the door unlatching rather quickly. It opened to reveal a man in his mid fifties, bald, steady build, and a large smile.

"What the devil are you doing here at this hour? Come in, come in. Your cousin will be glad to see you." the man said as he quickly ushered the two young people into his home.

"And you're not?" she asked in mock surprise before he pulled her into a hug.

"Of course I am. So, who's this young man with you?" he asked, concern creeping back into his voice.

Harry had been hiding his scar with his hair so that his identity wouldn't be revealed right away.

"This is a good friend of mine from school, Harry...Harry Potter." she said, pausing before saying his last name to get the full effect of her words.

The man's face went from that of concern and distrust to one of joy and thankfulness, before he pulled Harry into a big hug.

"Thank you so much, young man. If it hadn't been for you, I would have not only lost my sister and her daughter, but I would have lost my goddaughter as well. I will always be in your debt." he said, while squeezing Harry.

Harry could tell that the man was crying, but Harry was still confused as to what he was talking about.

"Uncle? Who's here? I heard people talking...SALLY-ANN!" squealed a little girl, no older then seven, who then threw herself at the young lady with him.

"Bill? Are you going to introduce us to the young man you're suffocating?" asked a lady from the bottom of the stairs, who Harry would assume was his wife.

Slightly embarrassed, Bill separated form Harry and turned to his wife, "I'm sorry dear, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is my wife Judith."

Upon hearing the young man's name, Judith too dashed across the room and pulled Harry into a big hug. He also found a much smaller set of arms wrapped around his lower back, who he assumed were that of the young girl.

"Thank you so much Mr. Potter. Thank you." Judith repeated.

'Huggy group' Harry thought to himself. He was still quite confused and when they finally separated, he glanced over at an amused Sally-Ann with a questioning look.

"Sorry Harry, I guess I should have told you who they all were before coming over. These are my uncle and aunt, Bill and Judith Keble, and their goddaughter Sarah. Sarah Greengrass, Daphne's little sister." she explained.

"But...why are you thanking me then? It's my fault in the first place..." but Bill cut him off before he could go any further.

"Yes, it is your fault. It's your fault that Daphne had been learning so many healing and camouflage spells. It's your fault that she was able to remove the knife that had caught Sarah in the chest, and then dissolution her so she could get out of the house. It's your fault, that I still have my precious goddaughter." he finished, barely above a whisper, as his wife held him tight.

In an attempt to compose himself, Bill paused for a second before he continued, "It was only a matter of time before You-know-who started trying to round up more followers. He did it a lot during the first war too. All of them pure bloods, and all of them either joined him or died. Daphne's family was just lucky the first time. Apparently, they were supposed to have a visitor a few days after You-know-who's fall, but without a leader, all those plans fell through. They only found out because it was supposed to have been done by the Lestranges, who admitted to it all under veritaserum during their trail. If it hadn't been for you the first time, I would never have met Daphne, and found out what a great young lady she grew up to be, and I wouldn't have had Sarah in my life at all. We have so much to thank you for." he finally concluded, as tears of sadness mingled with some of joy slid down his face.

Now that Harry thought about it, he realized that he recognized the names, William Keble. He had been one of the people who had sent him a letter over the summer offering help. He had offered to make potions if they were needed since he could no longer fight. Harry saw the an umbrella stand by the door with several canes in it, and noticed how that the man walked with a limp as he made his way over to the kitchen table and invited everyone to sit down.

"Thank you." Harry said while taking his seat, "I also want to thank you for the letter you sent me earlier this summer offering your assistance. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to take you up on your offer." Harry told the man.

Bill smiled, "I didn't even think you'd actually read your mail, though I had to offer. Due to an injury during the first war, I'm in no shape to join you on the battlefield, but I would be honoured to help in anyway I can behind the scenes. What potions will you been needing?" he asked.

Harry proceeded to list off a variety of healing, defensive and even an offensive potion or two.

"You can get all the supplies you need from Thatcher's Apothecary. I have a running tab there, and I'll let him know you're working for me. Thank you for your help."

"Not a problem, how much do you need?" asked Bill.

"As much as you can make me. I want to be able to outfit at least 100 people with two of each healing potion, tow of each defensive potion, and one of each offensive potion. Once the fighting actually starts, I don't think people will be able to do much more then through spells, though the air born unit will need more of the offensive ones then healing. In other words, just keep brewing." Harry told him, before adding, "And if you don't have anywhere to do that much brewing, head over to 'Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes', and tell them you're working for me, and that you're the brewer. They have a very large potions lab, and I'm sure will be more then willing to set you up in there. They might even try to recruit you to work for them at some point." Harry said with a chuckle.

"Ok! That's enough of war talk for one evening." interrupted Sally-Ann. She knew Harry had done that just to change the topic. Being the center of praise wasn't something he enjoyed very much, "We came here because I wanted Harry to get to know one of the people his actions helped to save. So, Sarah, why don't you tell Harry a little bit about yourself." she said to the little girl who was sitting on her lap in the chair next to Harry.

By the end of the night, Sarah, who had earlier moved onto Harry's lap, was sound asleep leaning against his chest as he and everyone else talked late into the night about a variety of topics until the clock rang midnight, and Harry and Sally-Ann decided that it was time to head back.

With a final goodbye, the two students walked over to the fireplace, and pretended to use the floo as Harry flashed them back to their private room near the Slytherin dungeon. After a brief goodnight, and a thank you from Harry, Sally-Ann headed off to her bed, while Harry flashed to Godric's office and entered the Mansion.

* * *

"Whatcha doin Harry?" asked Ginny the next day in the Mansion after she walked into the library and saw him at the table behind a small pile of scattered books. 

"Revision. I start writing my NEWTs next week, so I'll be in here during most of my spare time. I want to make sure I'm ready." he told her, without lifting his eyes from the book he was reading.

"Whatever you say..._Hermione!_" she teased, "Next thing I know, you'll be telling me you have an uncontrollable urge to snog my brother senseless."

"Oi! That's not fair!" Harry protested with a grin, "After all, he is right sexy in his Quidditch uniform."

A look of absolute disgust crossed her face, before both of them started laughing.

"Well, it's time for a break." Ginny told him in no uncertain terms.

"Oh really? And why's that?" he asked, amused at the authority she apparently thought she held over him.

"We are going to go down to the Park, and talk to Shah to see if she found any Tiassas in there." she informed him.

He smiled, and nodded in agreement, "Whatever you say m'lady."

Once they entered the park, Harry called out for the Occamy.

"_Good day to you ssspeaker?"_ the winged snake greeted.

"_And to you asss well my friend. How are you thisss find day?"_ asked Harry

"_Very well, thhhank you."_ she responded.

"_Did you find out if we have any Tiasssssa living here in the garden?" _he finally inquired.

"_It would appear asss thhhough you do, young massster."_ Shah told him, _"They live in a cave in thhhe sssection which isss now thhhe Ssspring ssseassson area of the Garden. If you wisssh, I can lead you."_

"_Thhhank you, thhhat would be great."_ Harry then turned to Ginny.

"She said she found some in a cave and will lead us to them." Harry explained.

"I know. I'm not deaf you know" Ginny told him, a little confused.

"Pardon?" asked a disbelieving Harry.

"I said, I'm not deaf. I could hear her just fine." the redhead told him, getting a little short.

"You're a Parslemouth?" he asked in a shocked tone.

"No! She was speaking English. What are you on about?" she challenged.

"_I am actually not ssspeaking englisssh young one. I am, in fact, ssspeaking the language of sssnakesss."_ the Occamy clarified.

Ginny was more then a little shocked, "I...I'm a parselmouth? But...I can't be. I'm not evil!" she said, irrationally trying to defend herself from some unheard critisism.

"What are you implying?" asked, now rather annoyed Harry, "You saying I'm evil?"

Ginny looked aghast, "NO! That's not what I'm saying Harry. It's just that, well, you got it from Voldemort, you weren't born with it. It wasn't your fault."

Relaxing a little, but still frustrated at Ginny's discriminating thoughts, he said, "First of all, Ginny, no gift is evil in and of itself. Just like with regular magic, what makes a gift evil is the way it is used. If a Breather-of-all let off an area of effect spell that poisoned the air of a certain area, killing everyone as he walked in and stole everything, that is an evil use of a neutral gift. But if that same gift were used to help someone who was drowning, then it would be a good use. The same holds true for a parslemouth. You can use that gift for good things as well as bad. Snakes aren't evil creatures. Don't fall into the prejudice of the Wizarding world. You're better then that Gin." he told sternly before continuing, "And secondly, you probably weren't born with it either."

"You're right Harry. I'm sorry. It's just so hard to go back on a lifetime of teachings that...wait a sec, what? I wasn't born with it?" she asked.

"I don't think so. I have a feeling you got it the same way I did, from that psychopathic dark tosser. I know you don't want to think about it, but he, through the diary, probably had to impart that gift to you in order to get you to open the chamber." he explained.

Ginny deflated, "Oh." she sighed in a depressed tone.

"Look at it this way Gin, we have a way to communicate that no one else can understand, or intercept." he told her with a grin.

She smirked, "You're right. Besides, this way you can never say anything that I don't understand. No more secrets for you Mr. Potter." she told him slyly.

"Vraiment? Alors to me comprend maintenant? Parfaitment?" he asked.

"What? That's not fair!" she huffed.

"Non, ma belle, c'est vrai. Ce n'est pas juste. Mais la vie, elle meme, n'est pas just non plus." he said in agreement.

"Stop it! Now tell me what you said!" she demanded.

"Lead on Shah." Harry told the bird, ignoring the reddening face of his human companion.

"Harry James Potter! WHAT did you say." she yelled as he started to follow the laughing winged snake.

"I'm not kidding! Tell me now!" she continued, as she stomped firmly on the ground with one foot.

"You better hurry Gin, or we'll lose her." Harry replied with a grin, completely ignoring her ranting.

"GRR! FINE! But this is NOT over Mr.!" she conceded.

Had any of the Weasley males been around to witness this last altercation between Harry and Ginny, they would be dumbfounded yet again, of Harry's ability to 'handle' their younger sister. Stories of his lack of fear in the face of an enraged Ginny was already told amongst them with the same awe as the stuff of legends, though they doubted even Merlin could handle that little spitfire as well as Harry could.

But since they were alone, with no gawking faces of Weasley males or knowing smiles of a Granger female to watch them, the two friends disappeared into the bushes on the tail of the winged snake without any other interruptions.

* * *

**AN: **Here's the French from earlier in the chapter. 

"Vraiment? Alors tu me comprends maintenant? Parfaitment?"  
"Really? So you understand me right now? Perfectly?"

"Non, ma belle, c'est vrai. Ce n'est pas juste. Mais la vie, elle meme, n'est pas juste non plus."  
"No, my pretty one, it's true. It isn't fair. But (the) life, herself, isn't fair either."

**I WILL be finishing this fic. No question about it.**

Thanks again to all you who read and review. I love to read your comments, and look forward to getting them so please keep them coming. This Fic has been much more successful then I had ever dreamed possible, so I want to thank you all. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Farfumsane.


	41. Something old, something NEWT

**Disclaimer: **Just going along, singing my song…or rather HER song, with HER words, HER places and things, side by side—which is why I do it…because it makes you laugh, it makes you cry…do de do de do de do…the facts of life….

(Today's disclaimer is brought to you by my editor Chick-a-dee...and the letter 'q')

**Chap 40: Something old, something NEWT...**

"Good evening and welcome back to another semester of the DA." said Harry from the Headmaster's position behind the head table in the mini great hall provided by his Room of Requirement.

"Before we begin tonight, I invite you all to rise, and to observe a moment of silence for our fallen brother and sister." Harry paused as everyone in the room stood up, "Matthew Wright and Daphne Greengrass. They were classmates, fellow DA members and above all, friends. They will be missed." he finished, before bowing his head in silent thought.

Everyone else in the room mirrored his movement and so they stood for two minutes, one minute per lost friend, in silent homage to their memory.

"Goodbye." Harry said after the two minutes had passed, and then motioned to everyone in the hall to be seated.

"We are at war. As much as I don't ever want to have to do that again, I know that more likely than not, someone is going to have to. Whether they are strangers, friends, family or enemies, people are going to die. No matter how much of it we see, however, I pray that death is something that none of us ever get used to.

"This war will be difficult, but we will go on, fueled with the knowledge that we are continuing the quest that those who fell before us died for. The quest that one day we _will_ complete. To that end, this term will bring not only a continuation of your training, but also specialization in your specific fields to optimize your chance at not only surviving, but also success." he explained to the assembled mass.

"Our first regular meeting will be held in two days, same time as usual, so bring your wand, and an idea of what you'd like to do. Will be dividing you into your groups, or 'houses' so to speak for the next month so that you can specialize in an area, and then after that month is up, we'll start putting you into 'Classes' or teams.

"I have been asked why we chose to structure the DA as a parallel to school, my answer to that question is that we chose this format for several reasons. Since I've heard some criticism, I thought I'd explain these reasons to everyone right now, in hopes that we can put an inconsequential concern like this aside and focus on the task at hand.

"First off, the person I was talking to went into a long spiel about why I should adopt the structure of the American Military. To this, I ask: Why? If I did that, I would have to explain to every pure blood what each rank meant, and what the point of having a higher rank then another person meant also. In order to do this, I'd probably have to parallel it to a school to make them understand it in the first place. Not to mention the fact that most 13 to 15 years old Muggle borns or muggle raised, such as myself, don't even know what these rankings are or mean. To use this form or ranking would waste countless hours that could be used much more efficiently on something like training, so why bother when we have a structure that is efficient, and is already understood by everyone.

"Second, and probably more important, is that if two people are overheard talking about the DA, and are discussing their 'House', 'Class', or one of their 'Professors', said eavesdropper wont think it odd, and will assume you're talking about school. This minimizes the possibility of human error being responsible for our discovery.

"But, both of those good reasons aside, the third and probably most important reason behind this is that my good friend Hermione Granger has always wanted to be called professor, and so I thought I'd give her the honour of that title a little earlier in her life than she originally expected it." he finished with a smirk, and quickly ducked the blows from his enraged and embarrassed 'assistant headmistress' to his right, as everyone else in the hall laughed at the entertainment.

The rest of the meeting that night was light. The usual sessions and classes were abandoned and their time was spent in discussion and visiting with friends. Before leaving, they were asked to review the material they had covered before the break, to be ready for the next session.

* * *

"Hey Blaise!" called out Harry as Blaise was about to leave the DA common room. 

The Slytherin turned around, "Yes?"

"Got a second?" Harry asked.

"Sure." Blaise answered.

Harry lead him into the strategy room, then closed the door.

"I want to extend to you an invitation for tonight." Harry told him.

"Where to?" asked the curious Head of Espionage.

"It's a surprise." Harry said with a grin.

"A surprise? Can I ask who else will be coming then?" Blaise inquired.

"If you show up, it will be you, Athena, Ron, Hermione, Demeter, Neville, Ginny, and of course, myself."

"Alright, I'm intrigued. Where and when?" Blaise conceded.

"Here in the strategy room, tonight at 10 pm." Harry told him before lifting the protective spells and exiting the room.

Blaise wasn't the only one intrigued at the invitation though, and the spy, who had been listening at the door, vowed to returned tonight to find out exactly what was going on before bringing this new information to Draco.

* * *

That night, at 10 pm, the six friends sat around the strategy room, and waited for Harry. 

"Where is he?" asked an impatient Ron.

"Give him a minute, would you?" said Athena, "It's not like he's always on time or anything."

"So," started Blaise, nonchalantly, "Where are we headed?"

Hermione smiled, "Sorry Blaise, that's not our secret to tell. Suffice it to say that you will be surprised."

At that moment, Harry appeared in a puff of smoke and flame, "Sorry I'm late. I lost track of time while I was...what?" asked Harry, noticing Blaise's completely dumbfounded look.

"D...did you just apparate in Hogwarts?" he managed to sputter.

Harry grinned and then magically locked the door, and cast a silencing charm and few privacy wards around the room before he answered.

"No. That was phoenix travel, I like to call it flashing. Don't look at me like that! I keep my clothes on!" retorted Harry, indignantly.

"I think that's a look of disbelief, Harry, not disgust." clarified an amused Neville.

"How?" a baffled Blaise inquired.

"That is just one of the many things you'll learn tonight my friend." explained Harry without making eye contact as his attentions were focused on solving the muggle puzzle cube in his hand.

"Um...what are we waiting for?" wondered Blaise aloud.

"For Harry to finish the cube, so we can go." explained Hermione.

"Uh...can't he finish playing with it once we get to wherever it is we're headed?" asked a confused Blaise. He didn't like being left in the dark, and this was starting to frustrate him.

"Finished!" exclaimed Harry as he made the last turn.

"Great!" a sarcastic Blaise muttered, "Can we get goi..." but his voice drifted off before he could finish as the cube Harry had just tossed at the wall began glowing and unfolding.

Blaise whipped his wand out and aimed it at the unfolding box, but when he saw his friends' lack of reaction, he realized it was supposed to happen. He relaxed his stance, but didn't put his wand away, as he waited for...well...whatever it was that everyone else was waiting for.

As the door had been unfolding, Harry watched Blaise's face with amusement. Once it had completely unfolded, he motioned for the others to follow before he opened the door and entered.

Blaise didn't know what the heck was going on, but seeing as how everyone else was going in, he figured it was safe. Hesitantly, he made his way towards the newly erected portal and stepped through it.

* * *

The spy left the DA common room in a rather dejected and somewhat frustrated mood. 

He had overheard a bit, but not as much as he would have liked before Harry had spelled the room against spying. The resourceful rat had already circumvented the permanent privacy charms on the strategy room a few weeks prior, but despite his knowledge and good marks in charms, he still had not been able to get past any of the spells that Harry cast. Potter was just too powerful, not to mention the fact that the spells he was using were so obscure that this mole had never heard of them.

The few things he had heard had raised more questions then answers. Where were they going? How did Harry just appear? Blaise had said that he apparated. Was that even possible? Was there another secret passage going into the room? That must be it. Harry must have slipped in by the secret passage, and then that's how they were going to leave the room to go wherever it was they were going. That must be it. But where did it lead?

With these questions swimming around his head, he scurried out of the room. He could only thank the stars that he hadn't told Draco about what he had discovered. He'd have to wait for something a little more concrete before he went to Voldemort's flunky with this. The last thing he needed right now was to have to suffer another round of cruciatus for his failure.

Pain and fear were powerful motivators.

* * *

"W...Where are we?" Blaise stuttered. 

"Welcome to Potter Mansion." Harry proclaimed with his arms motioning in a large arc.

"W...what?" the shocked Slytherin responded.

"Quite eloquent tonight." Athena smirked.

"I don't recall any of you taking it any better." Harry grinned back at her.

"Of course, none of you is taking it as bad as Master Harry did." Stewy piped up.

"Why? What did he do?" asked Ron.

"Stewy!" Harry said in a warning voice.

"Harry!" Hermione admonished seeing how Harry's words made Stewy practically cower.

"You better tell us mate, or I don't think Hermione will ever forgive you for using your authority over Stewy to keep him quiet." Ron told him.

"Ya, that's very un-spew like." Neville piped in cheekily.

"It's not _SPEW_!" Hermione yelled, "IT'S S.P.E.W.!" turning her anger on Neville now who was doing his best not to laugh.

"Do tell Harry. How did you take it." asked Blaise, who had finally found his voice.

"Fine. Stewy I'm sorry. It's ok, I'm not actually upset." Harry said to the house elf who visibly relaxed, before he muttered, "If you MUST know...I...kinda..." he said and finished by muttered something unintelligible.

"What's that Harry? Didn't quite hear you." Neville prodded.

Ron looked at Neville in slight astonishment yet mostly amusement, "Neville mate, when did you become so cheeky?"

"Shortly after Harry helped me find some self confidence." Neville told him with a grin.

"Great, so that's _another_ thing that's my fault!" Harry mock sighed.

But Hermione interrupted the chuckle that had ensued, "That still doesn't answer our question though Harry. How did you react?"

"I fainted. Ok? Happy?" Harry admitted with a mock scowl on his face. He knew it was quite funny, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy people finding out about it.

After another round of laughter, Harry told them all to get some sleep, and asked Stewy to prepare a room for Blaise while he gave his new guest a quick tour of the mansion.

* * *

The next morning, after his physical routine, which Ginny had joined him in doing as usual, Harry headed off to breakfast. 

Upon entering the Dinning Hall, he could hear some boisterous laughter, which he knew to be Godric's.

"What's all the commotion?" asked Harry as he made his way to the table.

"I was just telling young Blaise here about some of the things his House founder and I got into when we were younger." Godric told him.

"This is amazing Harry!" Blaise said in unbridled excitement, "The opportunity you have here to learn about the founders, and what actually happened in that time is incredible. You could actually see if Binns has it right or not."

"You know, I've never actually asked Godric about that." Harry said. He was slightly embarrassed that he had never actually talked to Godric about the founders. The topic just never came up.

"Godric," asked an inquisitive Hermione, "What actually happened between you and Salazaar? Was he really as evil as history portrays him to be? In the stories you've told us this morning, he sounds like a great wizard and a good friend. What happened?"

The founder smiled sadly, "Miss Hermione, that is a very long, and sad story that is best saved for another time. Ask me again when you have a day to spare, and we shall all sit together, and I shall tell you the story of the tragic fall of a great man." he promised them, with obvious sadness in his painted eyes.

"We will, Godric." Harry responded, "But today, we have things to do." he concluded with a smile, trying to dispel the glum mood that had befallen the morning meal.

"What's on the agenda for today, Harry?" asked Ginny, understanding that he was trying to change the topic for Godric's sake.

When he saw that everyone was present, including most of the portraits, Harry began, "First off, I need to apologize. I completely forgot to have you all tested for what magical hereditary gifts you possess." Harry began, speaking specifically to Athena, Demeter and Neville, "Since Ron and Hermione both had more then usual, I would assume that Demeter, Athena and Neville will as well, since you three are also mentioned in the prophecy. Blaise is an unknown, but we'll test you for everything anyways."

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" the inquisitive Slytherin asked, "I think you have some explaining to do, Mr. Potter, like: what this flashing thing is, and how you can do it; how you have a portrait of Godric Gryffindor when none were known to exist; why we are spending the day here and what we're gonna tell everyone else about where we were today; where _HERE_ is; and_ what the hell you think is so funny!_" Blaise finished, when he saw Harry trying hard to hold back his laughter.

Harry chuckled at the irate Slytherin, "I'm going to tell you all of that, and much more, my friend." then turning to a portrait, "Horass, while Blaise and I take a walk in the Park, would you mind joining the others in the room of requirement and lead them through all the tests I did this summer?"

"I'll join you two, Harry." Ginny said, "Someone has to be there with you to make sure you don't leave anything out, or play down your accomplishments, since you have a bad habit of doing that." she explained.

"Fine." he told her, before turning back to Horass, "The three of us will come back after I explain everything to him and we'll test him them."

"That will be fine young Harry. But you and Miss Ginny need to be retested as well." Horass told them.

"We'll do it after, while we test Blaise." Harry answered.

They all agreed, and most made their way over to the Room of Requirement while the other three walked outside.

A couple of hours later, the door on the Room of Requirement opened and the three wanderers walked in. Harry was smiling, Ginny was suppressing her laughter, and Blaise was still shocked.

"So you have three forms? And all are magical?" Blaise asked in astonishment.

"Yes Blaise, I've shown you the kneazle and the Phoenix, and there's also my Hippocampus form, and well, that's just a bit harder to show you, now isn't it?" Harry said with a grin.

"I think I need to sit down." the Slytherin muttered. Being that he was in the room of requirement a chair appeared behind him as he fell, which caused the others in the room to laugh and be impressed at the room's timing.

After a good laugh, and a bit more chatting, the group got back to the testing at hand.

They broke for dinner, and then got right back to it afterwards, and completed their testing by about 9pm that night.

"Well everyone, this has definitely been an educational day. You all know where the library is, so feel free to use it. Just remember that we'll be going back to school at 7am tomorrow for breakfast, no exceptions or sleeping in, Ron." Harry said, poking fun at his friend.

"Hey! Why are you centering me out!" the male Weasley complained.

The rest of them laughed at the rhetorical question.

On the way to the library, Harry saw that Ginny seemed to be in a bit of a downhearted mood. He slipped in beside her at the back of the group as they all walked, "Don't worry about it Gin. You're still growing magically. I got a bunch more even from just this summer. I'm sure you'll have at least as many as your brother when you finally hit your magical maturity." he assured her.

"I know Harry, it's just that...well...it's times like this that remind me that I don't really fit into this group. You're all older, and I'm just the little sister." she told him, more than a little depressed.

Harry took hold of her arm, firmly but still gently, stopping her. He then turned her to face him and spoke, "Never think that Gin. You're not anyone's little sister. At least not to me. You're my friend, and at this point, probably my best friend. That's not because of who you're related to, or what you can do, it's because of who you are. I wish you didn't feel unimportant, cause it's not true. And I'll do my best to constantly remind you of that." Harry assured her.

Ginny smiled, holding back the tears that had been threatening to fall ever since she left the Room of Requirement, "Thanks Harry. I know I shouldn't feel that way, and I try not to, but sometimes it's just hard. I'll try harder in the future, but I can't promise anything."

Harry smiled back, "That's all I can ask." he said before he pulled her into a brief hug.

"Alright then, let's go. We have to get them to the library and then to bed before you can slip out to the park to spend your time with the Tiassas." he told her with a grin.

Ginny smile doubled and she started bouncing on the spot, "Tonight? Will I have enough time?"

"Sure you will. Just go out tonight at about 11pm, and I'll make excuses for you all day tomorrow. When I get back tomorrow night, I'll come and get you. You only need one day out there for the three in here. After that, we can talk about what it takes to be a Marauder." Harry said with a grin.

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed with an appropriate fist pump.

"Now come on, they'll get suspicious if we're too late getting to the library." Harry grinned and grabbed her arm before flashing them both to the library before the others had even arrived.

* * *

The next evening, in the Gryffindor common room, Harry was pondering a rather confusing event that was currently unfolding in his life, and said confusion was evident on his face. 

"Harry, what're you thinking about?" Athena asked him as she sat down with him on the couch in front of the fire and leaned against him.

"Mmm. I'm trying to figure out what I'm gonna do about _you_, actually." he admitted without taking his eyes off the fire in front of him.

Athena marveled at how good Harry was at controlling his emotions now. He wasn't blushing, nor was he hesitant, he was just pensive. He had come a long way since the holidays, and his major guilt attack.

"What about me?" she asked. Athena already knew what he was talking about, but wanting him to say it.

"About you, and me, and I guess about us." he said, this time with a slight blush.

She smiled, that was the Harry she knew, "And what have you decided?"

"Nothing. That's why I'm still sitting here thinking about it." he said cheekily.

"Just so you know, I'm looking for more than we have now, and I wont wait forever for you to decide. So hurry up." she told him as she snuggled in closer to him, bringing her feet up underneath her as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Harry smiled slightly, and pulled his arm free and wrapped it around her, "You'll be the first to know."

"I better be!" she said as she playfully smacked him on the chest.

Many of the people in the common room that night had been under the impression that Harry had already made his decision, and the next day, they were more than happy to tell anyone and everyone just what that decision was.

* * *

"So...Harry, what's this I hear about you and my sister?" Hermione asked him the next day in the library as they were working on their Arithmacy. 

"What? Why do you ask?" a confused Harry inquired.

"You haven't heard? It's the big rumour today. When I first heard it, you and Athena were cuddling in front of the fire. The second time I heard it, you were stealing kisses when you thought no one was looking. The third time, you were full out snogging in the middle of the common room. At this rate, you'll be naked and shagging her with an audience by dinner. You have to love the rumour mill here at Hogwarts." she said with amusement in her voice.

Harry groaned and banged his head on the table, "I can't believe this. Why can't people just mind their own business? We were talking. True, I had my arm around her, but we weren't 'snuggling'."

"If you say so, Harry. But when I looked in last night, the two of you looked mighty cozy." she said, prodding him a little.

"Not you too!" he moaned, "Why do people have to keep sticking their noses in my life?"

"Well...in this case I'm allowed since you're dating my sister." Hermione teased.

"I'm NOT dating your sister...yet." he admitted quietly.

"Yet? Really?" she asked in slight disbelief. This clinched it in her mind that the poor boy really had no idea how he felt about a certain little redhead, and that he really was as clueless as her boyfriend.

"Why? Do you think I shouldn't?" Harry asked, after looking up. He appeared to be a little hurt at the thought that his friend didn't think he was good enough for her sister.

"Harry, it's your choice. Just be sure about what you're doing before you go ahead and do it." she warned him.

Harry's worry was clear in his eyes while he was looking at his friend, "You're not upset are you? Don't you want me to date your sister?"

Hermione smiled a little to calm him, "It's not that at all, Harry. If anything, I think you're too good for _her_." she said smirking, "What I meant was that you have to be careful. Do you want to start a relationship that could ruin a friendship? I've known you for 6 years now, and I can tell you don't like her that way, at least, not _that_ much that way. I just don't want to see you get hurt again. Besides, it's obvious that you like someone else, even if you haven't noticed it yet." the last bit she said quieter then the rest, but Harry still caught it.

"What do you mean 'I like someone else'?" Harry asked.

"Harry, you're as clueless as Ron, and even if I told you, you'd deny it, and try to say something like she's just a friend." Hermione told him as she packed up her books.

Harry grumbled and shook his head, "You've been talking to Godric haven't you. Look, she's just my friend, probably my best friend, just drop it!"

Hermione grinned, "No I haven't been talking to your esteemed ancestor, but this only reinforces my suspicion as I'm not the only one who's noticed."

Harry shook his head and continued to pack his stuff up. A couple of times he looked up as though he wanted to say something, but then he shook his head and looked back down.

Eventually, Hermione's curiosity got the better of her, "What are you trying not to say?" she asked as they made their way out of the library.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Harry said.

"Ya, right. I know you better then that. What is it?" she said sternly.

"It's just that...well...I'm just worried. I'm worried that if I blow things with Athena, that it might affect our relationship and I don't want that." Harry admitted.

Hermione sighed, "I can't tell you that it wouldn't, Harry. She's family, but so are you." she said with a smile, "You're my brother in everything but blood, and I hold you at the same level as her, if not maybe a bit higher." she said with a wink, "But as for who's side I take, well, that all depends on the circumstances."

She stopped and looked at Harry before continuing, "I highly doubt, knowing what kind of person you are, that you would ever do anything to Athena to make me turn my back on you, Harry. You're a good man, and I know you. You won't intentionally hurt anyone. So I can almost promise you that I won't turn on you over anything with my sister, and I'm sure Ron, or anyone else with a sister would agree with me. As for standing beside you: I can promise you 100 that I will _always_ stand beside you. Despite the fact that I get upset with you, or disagree with you, I will always stand with you." she assured him.

Harry smiled genuinely, "Thanks sis." he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and continuing down the hall, "I needed that."

* * *

"YES!" an excited, yet exhausted, Ginny exclaimed as she made her way into the Dinning Hall in Potter Mansion. 

"I take it that it all went well?" Harry asked.

"Yeppers. It was great! I love my form. The four of us spent the last two days playing around the park, flying, melting into shadows, chatting about their life there, and transporting from place to place using our smoke travel. They showed me everything. They're great!"

"So there are three of them?" Harry asked.

"There are now. Apparently, Godric started out with two couples who conveniently produced an off spring of each gender. They have incredible life spans and so they don't usually try for offspring until later in their lives, after they are developed enough to protect them. It wasn't until the last owner left, so John I guess, that the two remaining ones decided they should have a cub, and even after that they still waited a while before having Kit. The three I stayed with were Xantha, the father, Zaliira the mother, and their daughter Kitara, who they just call Kit. She's not much older than me, and she loved to finally have someone to spend time with." Ginny told him with a huge smile. "Apparently two of the original ones are still alive, but we didn't meet up with them during my time with them."

"Wow, that's impressive. That's over a thousand years old! They sound quite intelligent." Harry noted.

"Oh, they are. They'd put most humans to shame! Oh, and they want to meet you." she told him as she started to load her plate with some of the food that Stewy had brought her.

"Sounds good to me." Harry told her, "As soon as my NEWTs are done I'd love to meet them. Now, onto a more important subject."

This last line caught Ginny's attention, "And what would that be?" she asked after she swallowed her mouthful.

"Why, Marauder initiation, of course!" Harry told her, "First of all, before you receive your Marauder name, you have to prove yourself worthy. As the last of the marauders once told me, so I tell you: To become a Marauder, and earn your name, you have to pull of a large scale prank, on a number of people greater then 20. You are NOT to take credit for it, nor are you to get caught. Once you've pulled off the prank, come back to me and we will watch it in my pensive. If the current Marauders deem it worthy, then we can proceed with the ceremony during which you will receive your name. Understood?"

"Yes I do." Ginny told him. After a brief moment of thought she said, "Yours was the shrinking potion in the pumpkin juice wasn't it!" she said.

Harry smiled, "Yes it was, and Moony howled over it for days. He even keeps a copy of that picture we had taken by his bed side so that when he wakes up, he can start the day with a smile."

They both laughed over the memory, and chatted a bit more before heading up to bed.

* * *

That was the last cheerful conversation Harry had with anyone for the next week as he poured himself into his NEWT revision. 

This wasn't because no one _wanted_ to talk to him, mind you. On the contrary, many did, but none could find him between classes. Even Ginny didn't see him during her nights in the mansion as he locked himself in his private study, and guarded his mind as he studied. She got the odd snippet like, "Well that's just stupid!" or "Really? I never would have thought of that!" or "Ok. That makes sense, but why should I care?". Any attempts at actual conversation, however, were cut short as his attention was focused on the task at hand.

All too soon, the time for studying was at an end and Harry found himself sitting, with a parchment in front of him and a quill in hand, in front of the Ministry representative whose job it was to oversee the examinations.

Harry opted to write all of his theory portions in the first four days of testing without breaks for last minute studying. In the morning of the first day, he wrote Transfiguration and then after lunch, he tackled Astronomy. The next day brought him Charms and then Muggle Studies, the following day it was Potions and Herbology, and on the last day, he wrote Care of Magical Creatures and after lunch, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry thought that they all went well on the whole. He knew they weren't perfect, and that he was better at some subject then others. He knew that he nailed DADA, Charms and Potions. After all the time he spent on Potions, he better do well. He refused to let Snape get the last laugh, so he had spent a bulk of his revision time on that subject. Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures went well, but he wasn't as confident about Herbology, Muggle Studies and Astronomy. He was sure he did alright on them, but he doubted they'd be anything to brag about.

The practical testing started after a day of reprieve. The first day started with his DADA practical and then he did potions after lunch. Day two consisted of Transfiguration in the morning and Charms in the afternoon. With the four most difficult out of the way in the first two days, Harry just coasted through the Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy and Herbology.

After all was said and done, Harry felt relief. He dragged himself up to the common room, and unceremoniously crumpled to the floor in front of the fire, and laid there on his back, eyes closed, and relaxed.

Eventually, the rest of the mansion group, save Ginny, joined him and sat in the couches surrounding him.

"That was an intense exam schedule. You're mental for doing that!" Ron told him.

"Ron! You have no idea how lucky he was!" Hermione countered, "I wish I could do them all that close together. The problem with you, Ron, is that you rely too much on last minute studying, so when you don't get a 'last minute' you don't feel comfortable writing the exam."

"No, that's not it. The truth is that I'm NEVER comfortable writing exams." Ron clarified, to the amusement of all but his girlfriend who was too busy scowling at his smart-ass comment.

"I'll tell you this much, Ron, at least it gets them out of the way quickly. Now all I have are a few at the end of the year, and then my masters tests, but I can't do those till at least a year after my NEWTS, so I have a while to wait before I have to worry about them." Harry told him as he laid spread eagle on the floor in front of the fire place, "I'm just too exhausted to move."

"Masters?" Athena inquired.

"Since there are no magical universities, anyone who wants to write a masters in any topic, has to either apprentice themselves to a Wizard, or Witch, who already has one, or learn the material through self study. To ensure that people actually put thought and time into their choice, and also don't just try to do it from their NEWT studies alone, a Wizard or Witch must wait a minimum of one year after their NEWTs to write any masters degree." Hermione told them, in her unintentional McGonagall impersonation.

"Which ones are you thinking of writing, Harry?" asked Neville.

From his prone position, Harry answered, "I was thinking of writing Charms, Transfiguration, DADA and Potions."

"FOUR masters!" Hermione exclaimed, "How do you plan on doing that?"

"Relax, Hermione." said a monotone, and still prone Harry, "I could probably write them now. I used some older copies of those tests to help me study for my NEWTs, actually. I'd hazard a guess that with your new reading, retention and organizational abilities, you'd be able to do them in a year too. But I think I'll just do one a year for the next few years. I would like to have my DADA Master by the time you guys finish your NEWTs next year. That's about the only thing I really want."

For that comment, Harry received the pleasure of having four pillows smack him in various places. Two hit him in the head, and the other two in the stomach.

"At least Demeter didn't see the need to attack me for my superior intelligence." Harry said with a chuckle, before the fifth pillow smacked him in the face.

After some light hearted laughter, and a bit more chatting, Harry got up and told everyone he was going for a walk before turning in for the night, and that he'd see them all later.

"Harry." Athena called out to him, before he exited the portrait hole, "Can I join you?" she asked as she walked over to him.

Harry smiled, but shook his head, "Sorry Athena, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow." he told her, not wanting to say too much, but refusing to lie to her either. After all, he couldn't very well tell her that he was going to meet Sally-Ann in a room that no one else knew existed, before he retired to his mansion for the night.

"Ok, it's a date!" she said with a smile, before she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, "See you tomorrow."

Harry smiled, "Yep, tomorrow then."

Harry left the common room that night feeling a little guilty having misled her, but not too much.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks again to ALL my reviewers and readers. A special shout out to **Dumbledore **who was my 1000th reviewer, way to go mate. I never thought I'd see the day of the thousandth review, but here it is. It is always encouraging for me to hear from all of you, so please, keep them coming. 

Farfumsane


	42. Something borrowed, something Blue

**Disclaimer: **And now, the exciting continuation of Secret Sanctuary which, incidentally, is earning the author absolutely nothing but the satisfaction of your reviews and a sense of accomplishment as he owns none of it.

**Chapter 41: Something borrowed, something Blue.**

As Harry entered the secret room, Sally-Ann gave him a quick hug and a hello, and then asked, "So, do you know what you're getting?"

"Yep, I have an idea. We'll see if he can do it or not." Harry said, unsure about the abilities of the tattoo artist they were going to visit.

"Does that mean you wont be getting any piercings?" she asked with a slight pout.

Harry laughed, "Nope. I wont be adding any more holes to my body tonight then I already have. Maybe another time." he told her.

"You got a picture of what you want?" she asked, excited to see what he had in mind.

"Actually I do. I've been scribbling my ideas down for a few days now on a spare piece of parchment. I can't draw to save my live, so it's more a guideline than anything else. I hope he can make it look good." he said as he handed her the scrap of parchment.

She looked at it and giggled, "You're right. It's a good thing your life _doesn't_ depend on you being able to draw."

"Hey! I told you that I was no artist!" he said in mock offense as he too laughed at his scribblings.

"I can see why you hope the tat-artist can make something of it...it's rather horrible in and of itself." she teased.

Harry grabbed the picture from her hand, "If THAT's the way you're gonna be, fine then! See if I show you any of my drawings ever again." he said in mock threat.

"Oh no, please! Not that. Anything but that!" she retaliated in mock horror with her hands up at either side of her face to show her fear.

"Ok. Enough of this monkeying around. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeppers. And it's a good thing you're early. It might take a while for him to figure out what you actually want." she teased, getting one last shot in before they flashed to the entrance of Knockturn Alley.

It didn't take long for them to find the place and as Sally-Ann had told him, the tattoo artist was definitely an artist. He took Harry's rough sketch and made it an amazing reality. Harry had to admit that the finished product was even better then he had pictured it in his mind.

Harry had heard his cousin once bragging about a tattoo he had gotten. So now that he'd experienced for himself first hand, he assumed that his cousin was either a big wuss, or the magical variety of tattoo didn't hurt nearly as much as the muggle one. It had only taken half an hour, and had felt absolutely no pain, but the tickling sensation of the magic at work on his back was distracting.

Sally-Ann had given her wolf whistle of approval as soon as she had finally seen it.

The end result was much larger then the initial gift certificate had allowed for, but Harry had had a vision of what he wanted, and so gladly paid the difference to ensure he got what he wanted.

The whole of his back was now covered in one big tattoo. The giant phoenix, a close to identical copy of his animagus form right down to the lightning bolt scar on the forehead and the emerald green eyes, hovered in the middle of his back. In the right claw was a sword that looked an awful lot like the sword of Gryffindor, and in his left was a staff tipped with a ruby, which bore a striking resemblance to the Staff of Gryffindor. The two weapons crossed each other in an X pattern under the bird. On one of the phoenixes talons there was a plain gold ring, and behind the bird was a cloak of flames that danced. The flame was the same vibrant red as the cloak of Gryffindor, with a similar gold outline around its edges.

Sally-Ann had a feeling that each detail in the tattoo held some sort of meaning to Harry, but she decided not to pry.

Harry wasn't worried about the tattoo artist figuring it out either since he had shown up in a metamorphmagus disguise and had covered his scar with a glamour charm. He had learned the charm about a month ago and had been putting it to good use ever since. He could now completely transform himself into Neville and had even gone so far as to ask the boy's permission to use his appearance when trying to make his way through the school unnoticed. Neville had generously allowed him to, and even told Harry that out of everyone in the school, he trusted no one more than Harry to portray Neville honourably and not abuse the form.

Tonight, however, he was just a nobody with light brown hair, medium build and average height.

As the man was working, Harry was playing with his metamorphmagus abilities and found that he was able to duplicate tattoos that he saw pictures of on the wall without much effort on the back of his hand so that no one would notice. He figured it was something he could play with in the future.

The man had demanded payment up front for such a large tattoo, and so when he was finished, he merely said he was done, showed them the end result and told them they were free to leave.

As the two friends stepped out of the shop, they were practically knocked over by a frantic looking man who is too busy screaming to stop and help them back up again.

"What the..." but Harry's question was cut short as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He quickly grabbed Sally-Ann and dove onto the ground as a stray flash of green light soared over their heads.

"Sally, go back into the shop and put up as many shields as you can think of." Harry told her as he morphed himself into his persona of the Hero of Diagon Alley, and changed his cloak.

"I can help!" she protested.

"I don't have time to argue with you. Just do it! I promise that I'll explain later." he told her. She nodded, not at all happy, and re-entered the tattoo parlor as Harry ran down the street towards the main commotion.

Harry entered Diagon Alley, and saw a group of black-cloaked wizards attempting to break into Gringotts. He threw a wandless stunner with each hand, dropping two of them, and was even able to get off two more before the others turned and raised protective shields.

"Isn't it a little late to come down here and start stirring up trouble? That's not usually your guys' style. There are nowhere near enough helpless women and children for you, are there?" he asked the ones that were still left standing as they frantically tried to enervate their fallen comrades.

"You!" said the one that appeared to be in charge as he recognized the 'Hero of Diagon Alley', "Keep working on the door! The rest of us will take care of him."

The one at the door continued his work as the remaining 11 and their leader rounded on the stranger with their wands drawn.

Spells started flying almost immediately. 'They must have learned something from the last encounter.' he thought.

_WHAT! _Screamed Ginny in his mind.

'Nothing. I'll tell you later.' he thought as he twisted, ducked, shielded and returned fire. He managed to drop one more before getting an interesting idea. He decided to try one of the spells he had recently found so he drew out Gryffindor's wand and had it transform into a staff.

Dodging another sickly green curse, he held the staff high and shouted, 'arcanus labyrinthus'(1)

The words resulted in a rumbling beneath their feet, and then suddenly stone walls shot up all around them. Theses walls separated the death eaters from each other, and also from himself, as they all found themselves in a giant labyrinth.

Harry then cast a quick silencing charm on his feet, and willed his robe to blend into the background. The chameleon ability was a big help, especially in situations like this. After he was ready, he began to hunt.

The maze was much bigger on the inside than the area of effect on the outside. People on the exterior of the spell effect would see a 40ft by 40ft square stone structure ten feet high, when in reality, the interior was approximately 100 x 100. The maze created is always random in design so that even the caster isn't aware of its layout. The spell was originally designed for training purposes by the Ministry over 600 years ago, but was no longer used, and was thought to be lost. The main reason for this disuse was the amount of power needed to create it. But another reason was that the maze remains in place until only one of the occupants was left standing making it impossible to enter and heal someone if they had been critically wounded until the exercise was over.

Five minutes later, Harry had successfully taken care of six of the ten Death Eaters, however the remaining four were proving a tad more resourceful.

The first two fell without much effort, Harry had just walked right up behind then and stunned them. The next three had been even easier. Harry had bound all three together, and then stunned them each in turn. The last one had been a little trickier, but not much. He had stumbled in on Harry as he was stunning the other three, and actually got a spell off. Harry had blocked it easily enough, and after a few more minor spells, the man was knee deep in what was now solid ground, with a big pink afro, a round red nose and was completely tied up.

There were only four left. One of the four had set himself up as leader and was actually doing a good job in directing the group. Their original leader had proved to be inept in this type of setting and had been quickly stunned and bound.

The five remaining occupants were in the large room, about 30 x 30, at the center of the maze about to face off.

"It doesn't have to be like this Gryffindor!" one shouted, "You can join us and we can split what we get from Gringotts 50/50!" he said with a tinge of desperation in his voice.

Harry made as though he was going to answer, but instead shot out two silent and wandless stunners, leaving only two facing him.

Those two began to panic, before one of them sneered and shot a cutting curse at Harry. Harry easily sidestepped the curse and was about to retaliate when he was hit in the back by something. Harry was thrown forward and completely off balance, and as he fell he saw another death eater.

'Shoot!' he thought, 'The spell must have been large enough to get the guy at the door too. I should have known that.'

_What guy at the door? What's going on? Harry? Where are you?_ Ginny asked worriedly in his mind.

'Not right now Gin. I'm a little busy.' he told her as he severed the link.

Harry started to role and dodge as best he could from his prone position. He managed to get off another stunner that fell one of them before he was hit by a cruciatus. Then another quickly joined in. It was at this time that Harry decided to try out his theory.

Focusing, as best as he could though the blinding pain, Harry started trying to focus on his occlumentic shields and modify them to block out pain, and not just thoughts or telepathic waves. Slowly the pain started to filter out, and Harry found it a little easier to concentrate. In doing so, he was able to concentrate harder and bring the shields up quicker.

The two Death Eaters were more than sure that he must be insane by now. Anyone else under that kind of intense torture would be. So when they decided to end the curse, and their victim began to laugh, they were more then a little confused.

Harry capitalized on their confusion and dropped them both quickly. As the last one fell, the walls melted away, and Harry found himself surrounded by Aurors with their wands drawn, and 11 Death Eaters, bound and gagged lying on the ground around him.

Seeing Harry, Kingsley Shacklebolt lowered his wand and told the others to do the same.

"I trust you have everything under control, Auror Shacklebolt." asked Harry as he saw the other five that he had dropped before he erected the walls tied up off to the side.

"Yes sir, we do. Thank you for your help. Do you have a moment to answer a few questions?" asked the Auror.

"Of course." Harry replied as he made his way over to follow him.

He then heard someone mutter from the crowd, "Who is he?"

Harry turned to look at the source of the voice, and saw a rather attractive young lady leaning towards an older woman, now looking very embarrassed at having been heard.

He approached the embarrassed young lady and reached for her hand. Still feeling slightly over confident from the battle, he pulled it up to his mouth, kissed it and then said, "Lord Gryffindor at your service m'lady." before letting go of her hand, bowing slightly and following Kingsley into one of the shops that had been opened for use by the aurors.

After throwing up several privacy charms, checking that the room wasn't bugged, and then locking the doors, the auror turned to Harry, "What are you doing here Harry? Shouldn't you be in school?"

Kingsley knew better than to try and tell Harry what to do, besides, the auror saw this young man before him as a peer, if not a superior, in this fight against the Dark Lord.

"I had come to celebrate the fact that I had just finished writing my NEWTs. I honestly didn't come looking for trouble." Harry said a bit defensively.

Kingsley laughed, "I never thought you did, Harry. Trouble seems to find you easily enough without your help."

Harry responded with a lopsided grin.

"What did you do to celebrate?" asked the man, "Not for public record, of course, I'm just curious."

Harry smiled, "Just a tattoo."

Kingsley raised an eyebrow, "Mind if I see it?"

Harry shrugged, and removed his robes to show him.

Kingsley nodded in approval and smiled, "Very nice, Harry. Now, give me a quick run down on what happened so that it looks like we were doing something in here."

Harry chuckled, and then gave him a quick synopsis of what happened.

After they were finished, Harry bid him goodbye and disillusioned himself before slipping out of the store and heading back to the tattoo parlor.

"Where have you been?" Sally-Ann asked as soon as he entered, more than a little bit upset.

"I was taking out the trash. Are you ready to go? We should head out before the Order gets here and Dumbledore finds you." Harry told her. He had returned to his initial disguise before dropping the disillusion so as not to raise the shopkeeper's suspicions.

She agreed, and he flashed them both to the secret room. They said their goodbyes, after Harry promised to give her a full run down the next night.

Harry then flashed to Godric's office intent on entering the mansion that he had left set up there, but his plans were forgotten when he arrived in the room, and turned to find a very emotionally distraught redhead with her wand now pointed at him.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! What the HECK do you think you're doing? Shutting the link at a time like that? I could here the desperation and concern in your voice, and then when I ask what's wrong you go and shut the link! You promised! You said you wouldn't close it when you were upset, and then you go and do it. I aught to..." but she never got a chance to finish that sentence as Harry had finally collected himself and recovered from her initial outburst and had cast a silencing charm on her.

He grinned internally at her obvious rage, but didn't let his amusement show, instead he put on a calm face and placed two reassuring hands on her shoulders as he faced her, "I'm fine, and I'm very sorry for worrying you. If you give me a few minutes, I'll let you know exactly what happened, but I can't do that while you're yelling at me."

She was frustrated that he would go and do something like silence her, but at the same time, she understood that what he was saying was true. She had been learning, through her dealings with Harry in particular, that she had a bad habit of reacting instead of acting. She had a tendency to fly off the handle before getting the full facts and this was something she was trying really hard to change.

Ginny realized that this was one of those times, so she forced herself to calm down a bit and nodded once to tell Harry that she would be cooperative.

Harry smiled, "Thanks Gin. I mean that. It's nice to know you care." he said in all honesty as he made his way to the mansion door, "Let's go to my study, and I'll show you everything in my pensive. Ok?"

She nodded, not trusting herself not to explode again, and followed him into Potter Mansion.

* * *

"...and his power is definitely continuing to grow with the number of rituals he's been performing. He has currently found a way to partially duplicate some natural magical gifts. I say partially, because he has only been able to duplicate Felatongue (the ability to speak with cats), Canatongue (the ability to speak with dogs), and water breathing. As you know, these are not complete gifts, as the cat and dog speaking are only a small portion of the beastspeaker ability, and the water-breathing of the breather of all ability. He has taken these as an encouraging sign though, and has been working on ways to partially or completely duplicate many others. He is currently working on, and has almost completed, a way to duplicate the entire heightened reflexes gift and I believe that his next project will be to improve his already minimal gift in Sorcery. It would seem that the reason for the attack tonight was for a specific book that is rumoured to be in one of the older vaults that details magical gifts and has more then a couple of rituals through which you can reproduce them in others." Snape said. 

This emergency Order meeting had been called after they had gotten back from Diagon Alley that night. Dumbledore wanted a full report of the Dark Lord's activities and wanted to try and figure out exactly what he had hoped to accomplish tonight.

"Do ye have any GOOD news Snape?" interjected Mad-eye as the others grumbled something similar.

"Aside from the fact that they were not successful? Yes, actually, I do." the greasy potions master sneered sarcastically, "He's afraid."

"Of whom?" asked the rarely surprised Headmaster. It had been some time since Tom Riddle had outwardly shown any type of fear for anyone, even Dumbledore himself.

"The hero of Diagon Alley is the most common guess and I am inclined to agree with popular opinion on this one." Snape told them. Dumbledore had decided not to make the identity of the Hero of Diagon Alley public knowledge, and so he hadn't told anyone who wasn't at Harry's birthday.

"GUESS? You mean you don't know?" asked a disbelieving Molly Weasley, unsure why he would report something as if it were a fact when he had no real proof.

"Most of the information I amass is based largely on assumptions and gossip, Madam. THAT is why being a spy is difficult. One must sift through the rumour mill and figure out what is based in truth and what is not. And after that, one must figure out how embellished the facts, that had started out as truth, have become. It is not as easy as walking up to the Dark Lord and asking: 'So, what kind of information can you give me that the Order of the Phoenix could use against you.' If it were truly that simple, even your timid husband could do it!" Snape sneered with an air of superiority.

"Why you little..." Molly started before being cut off by Dumbledore.

"That will be quite enough Severus. We know your job is difficult, and requires skill. That is not to say, however, that the tasks of others are any less important. Are we understood?" the Headmaster asked him in a tone that one did not usually hear him use, especially with his lap dog Snape.

"Yes Headmaster." the potion master said curtly. Earlier that week, the two of them sat down and discussed his behaviour, and how his current attitude was doing nothing to ensure his continued safety should something happen to Albus before the end of the war. Severus was not a stupid man, and so could see that his trump in the hole, as a muggle card player might say, might not always be there, and so came to the Headmaster to inquire how he might begin to improve his relations with the rest of the Order. They had spoken for more than an hour before they finalized a strategy that they felt would work. Part of that was that the Headmaster would not blindly support the spy anymore when in the company of the Order. If the potion master was out of line, he was to be informed so that he could rectify the situation before it caused any further hard feelings among his allies.

Severus then turned to Molly, "My apologies, Madam." he said as sincerely as he could muster. This type of behaviour was new to him, but he would be damned if the only reason he ended up spending time in Azkaban when this war was over was because he could not keep a civil tongue.

Needless to say, the rest of the Order was flabbergasted at both the Headmaster's and the potion master's behaviour. More than one of them was trying to figure out what had brought on the change, and if it would actually last.

"I have one other piece of information, Headmaster. The fact that this 'Hero of Diagon Alley' appears to have the robe of Gryffindor, has lead to the Dark Lord being obsessed with finding the creations of Slytherin. As of yesterday, he has in his possession the Breastplate of Slytherin." there were a few gasps in the room at the revelation of this last bit of information, "I can also tell you that he is currently searching for the Braciers and the Sword of Slytherin as well, but to the best of my information, he is not even close to discovering their whereabouts yet." the spy concluded.

"Albus, this isn't good." McGonagall said, voicing the silent thoughts of a good number of the Order members.

"I know Minerva. With the effects of Slytherin, and these new powers, he will become more of a force to be reckoned with than he is now, and I fear that I will no longer be able to contain him." His words had an immediate negative effect on all those who heard him. Chastising himself mentally for letting those words escape his lips, and lowering the moral of his people, he quickly formed a plan to salvage the situation, "And so we must make sure that this doesn't happen. Alastor, Bill, Arthur, Hestia and Mungdungus. You are being pulled from your previous assignments to begin searching for these items. You all have contacts where the others do not, use them. Now is the time to call in favours. Now is the time to act quickly. We will stop him, and we will be successful."

Feeling that his words had had the desired effect, the Headmaster adjourned the meeting and sent everyone on their way.

"Severus, before you go, a word please." Dumbledore called.

"Of course, Headmaster." Snape replied, "I have more to tell you as well, but I could not say anything in front of the others."

After moving up to the office, Dumbledore sealed the room and placed a variety of anti-scrying, silencing, and other protective charms, before he motioned to the empty chairs and encouraged the potion master to have a seat.

"Severus, why have you not told me any of this before?" the Headmaster asked, for a change getting straight to the point.

"That is part of what I wanted to tell you about. Though the Dark Lord has included me in many of the inner circle's dealings, it would appear that I have not been privy to every piece of information, and I believe that no one else has been either. I am under the impression that he has been entrusting different people with different tasks and not trusting any of us with everything." the potion master explained, "The information I gave you tonight is an example of this.

"Even though I had a hand in brewing the potions used in the rituals, I honestly didn't know that they were being used for a vast number of rituals as purification agents, and power sustainers. As I recall, I even gave you a list of the potions he has had me brew lately, and you didn't see a pattern either." the potion master said, earning a nod of agreement from the Headmaster, "I found out about the actual rituals tonight at his bragging sessions before he sent out the 16. It was at that time that he began listing all his latest accomplishments in order to assure us that he wasn't afraid of anything and that all was going according to plan.

"The unexpected intervention of the Hero of Diagon Alley, who tonight referred to himself as Lord Gryffindor to a group of civilians, one of which was a disguised Death Eater, was very fortunate for our side. All the information I delivered can be extrapolated from the prisoners if the correct questions are asked." the spy hinted.

"He did? Well, I guess it was only a matter of time before others figured it out anyway. No harm done I guess. Very well. That covers all of my questions, was there anything else you wished to discuss?" asked the Headmaster.

"You mean you know who the Hero is?" asked the curious ex-Death Eater.

"Yes I do, though I am not at liberty to divulge his identity. That is his secret to share, not mine."

The potions master nodded in understanding before continuing, "I do have one more piece of information to share with you tonight. Due to some whispering among the Death Eaters, very quiet and closely guarded whisperings, I have been led to believe that Voldemort has managed to plant a spy in the Order of the Phoenix other then myself."

* * *

"You successfully blocked the effects of the Cruciatus?" asked a disbelieving Ginny shortly after the two emerged from the pensive. 

"Yep, and I have you to thank for it." Harry said with a smile.

"What? How?" asked a now thoroughly confused Ginny.

"It was while I was thinking about how to block that annoying voice, who always seemed to be right, from my head earlier this summer that I came up with the idea of trying to use mental discipline to block out the imaginary pain of the curse. This was just the first time I was put in a situation where I got to try." he told her.

"Can you teach others?" asked Ginny.

"I plan on trying. One of the next things we're gonna try in the DA with the offensive and defensive groups is occlumency. If you don't mind, it would help a whole lot if you learn here with me so you can help me teach it to the rest of the group. The only problem is that I don't think they'll all be able to pick it up." Harry told her.

"Maybe you can create a spell that can duplicate what you're doing with your occlumency. I know there are mind shielding spells, and even some potions. None of them are permanent, but at least it would give them some protection."

"That's BRILLIANT! Gin. I'll get on that tonight." Harry told her as his mind started running with ideas.

"Good, cause I've got something I have to do too." she told him with a mischievous look in her eye.

"Oh? Anything I can help with?" he asked, more out of curiosity than actually wanting to help.

"Nope. You're not allowed. I have to plan and execute this all on my own." she told him.

Harry finally caught on, "I look forward to seeing the results. Good luck in the planning." he said as he got up to leave.

"Not so fast buddy. First off, you owe me a day in Diagon Alley now, unless you want me to think you like Sally-Ann more then me." she said cheekily

"Fair enough." Harry said with a grin.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's see it." Ginny said.

"See what?" asked Harry, honestly confused.

"The tattoo, you git. Let's see it!" she said emphatically.

"Ok, ok. Sorry! I don't feel it, and believe it or not, I have had a few other things happen today that have distracted me!" he grumbled as he removed his robe.

Ginny watched silently as Harry removed his loose fitting robe. She exercised with him almost every morning, and was used to seeing him in his gym clothes and all sweaty, however he never joined her when she went swimming, and she hadn't seen him with his shirt off for a very long time...until now.

As Harry peeled off the t-shirt he had been wearing underneath his robes, Ginny found herself unable to breathe. She was staring at his chiseled six pack which met up with his perfect pecs and muscular arms. When Harry turned to show her the tattoo, she finally inhaled, rather sharply, as she saw the magnificent Phoenix with a flaming cloak dancing around it on the young man's back, but also the well defined muscles beneath it. Occasionally the Phoenix would flap its wings, and open it's beak to sing, though no song was ever heard.

"What do you think?" he asked over his shoulder.

"It...it's really nice." she sputtered, in a voice barely above a whisper. Her powers of speech had been rendered all but useless at the sight of what she considered to be a perfect example of the male body.

Harry took her hesitancy and quiet tone of voice as a sign that she wasn't being totally truthful and frowned, "You don't have to lie just to make me feel better." he said in a voice that showed his pain, as he put his shirt back on and started to pick up his robe.

Ginny was knocked out of her fantasy by the tone in Harry's voice. Returning to her senses, and still standing behind him, she placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm not just saying that to make you feel better Harry. It really is very nice. I was just surprised. It's beautiful."

Harry turned to look at her skeptically, but when he looked into her eyes, he could tell she was being completely honest, "Thanks Gin." he told her with a smile.

"You're very welcome." she replied, "Now get to work. You have a spell to make."

Harry grinned and grabbed his stuff before practically running out of the room.

Ginny slumped down in the chair next to her, and replayed the scene she had just seen in her mind. 'Get a grip girl! It's times like this that you'd think you never really gotten over that boy in the first place! Now get to work.' she admonished herself. She then turned to the parchment in front of her, and forced herself to think of Justin.

* * *

Harry stumbled out of the mansion the morning after, not having slept much as the last two nights had been filled with more research than sleep. Harry had decided to go with a potion, as the spell would only be as strong as the person casting it, and if the one casting the unforgivable was stronger than his target, then the neutralizing spell would shatter and be of no use. 

Besides, if he succeeded with the potion, he would be able to claim an achievement that even Snape would be forced to recognize and that thought always brought a smile to his face.

Hermione motioned him over, and held up a copy of the daily prophet. In a harsh whisper, she tried to chastise him.

"_Harry James Potter!_" she whispered with conviction, "_What do you think you were doing going out there like that! I can't believe you would..._" and just as he had done to Ginny the night before, he tossed a wandless and wordless silencing spell at her.

"And a good morning to all of you as well." he said jovially as he took a seat next to Athena who didn't look all that pleased with him either, but didn't say anything about it. He turned to Hermione, "This is not the time or the _place_ to talk about this. At lunch, if you like, we'll gather in the War Room and discuss it then. But for now," he said as he turned to the plate of bacon, "I'm having breakfast."

"Here, here!" chimed Ron, as he dug into his own plate, and totally missed the murderous glare his girlfriend shot him.

Midway through the meal, Harry dropped the silencing charm after having been not so politely reminded by a muffin in the head from the victim.

As the meal was nearing its end, the Hall Doors burst open, and in walked a short haired and balding Filch in a black robe, with gray patches on the elbows and big red shoes, followed by a light brown Mrs. Norris.

Dean Thomas leaned over to Harry and whispered, "They look like Gargamel and Azrael!" he said with a chuckle.

Harry wasn't quite following. Though those two names rang a bell, he never really had the chance to watch cartoons as a child, so he merely smiled and nodded.

Looking even more annoyed at the fact that most of the students found his appearance amusing he yelled out, "HEADMASTER!"

At the sound of the caretaker's voice, another spell took effect. In the blink of an eye every one in the hall became a blue creature with a white hat, white pants and a big nose. Everyone that is, except Filch who kept the appearance of Gargamel, and Professor Dumbledore. The Headmaster had transformed into one of these blue creatures as well, however he had a big white beard, and his hat and pants were red.

Harry looked down and saw that he too, was without a shirt, and blue. He tried several times, but no amount of metamorphing could change him back. He then brought his hands up to his chest and felt that he was still wearing his robes, it only appeared as though he was a shirtless blue creature with a big white hat, and laughed.

Then, when he looked up at the head table to see what everyone else was laughing at, he saw that in the place of the headmaster, stood an equally tall blue being but unlike the rest of the people in the had, this one had a large white beard and a red pair of pants and hat.

'This is brilliant!' he thought as he laughed to himself.

_Thank you. _Ginny replied. _A girl always like to hear that the effort she puts into her work is appreciated._

Harry laughed even louder, causing a couple of the Smurfs to look over. 'Gin, this is the best. Welcome to the Marauders. I'll flash you over to Grimmauld tonight and we can share this with Moony. After that I can give you your name, and then it'll be official.'

The 'Ginny Smurf' smiled and nodded, _Thanks, but I'll just smoke over myself._

'It works in Hogwarts?' Harry asked her mentally.

_Of course it works in Hogwarts. How do you think I was able to pull this off? _She asked in a teasing tone.

A bunch of the muggleborns started singing the theme song of the popular muggle cartoon much to the confusion of the purebloods who still had NO idea what was going on.

Harry looked up at the head table again, and saw the Smurf that he was sure was Flitwick as he was the only one who was even close to the right height, talking to Papa Smurf, clearly in a good mood.

Papa Smurf rose, and calmed everyone by raising his hands, "Professor Flitwick would like me to tell whoever is responsible for this that he is thoroughly impressed. He says that this is the best bit of charms work that he has seen since the infamous Weasley twins' swamp last year. And I would like to thank the person, or persons, for a pleasant start to the day. Thank you all. Have a nice day."

But before the chatting could commence again, one of the Gryffindor Smurfs yelled out in their high-pitched voice,

"Hey! Aren't we supposed to be three apples high?"

* * *

(1)arcanus labyrinthus: Closed Labyrinth 

**AN:** A big thank you out to my readers and reviewers. I love you guys. Keep the reviews-a-comin', I love to read your opinions and comments. The longer the better ;)

If anyone reading this has a gift in drawing, I would be more then happy to e-mail you my rough sketch (as I am about as good at drawing as I have made Harry out to be in this fic) as a guideline if you want to try. If interested, please do **NOT** put it in a review, but e-mail me directly with an addy to which I can send my computer sketch. Thanks.

Farfumsane


	43. NEWT found Love

**Disclaimer: **The more chapters I come up with, the harder and harder I find it to come up with interesting disclaimers, so this time, I just give up. It's not mine. I'm not making anything. I hope you're enjoying it.

**Chap 42: NEWT found Love.**

"That was a brilliant prank this morning!" said Harry as he fell into his favorite couch in front of the Gryffindor common room fireplace that evening.

"That is was." agreed Athena as she fell in next to him, and promptly rested her head on his shoulder.

After a few moments of silence, Harry was still musing about this morning's Smurf invasion, while Athena's thoughts were on other things.

Harry still hadn't said a word to anyone about what happened in Diagon Alley, and all his friends were starting to get impatient. So much so that they were actively avoiding him at the moment, since they didn't think they'd be able to refrain from questioning him and he had made it perfectly clear that he wouldn't be talking about it till later.

That is, everyone except Ginny and Athena. Ginny already knew, due to her time in the mansion, and Athena was still waiting for an explanation of another sort, and so stuck a s close to Harry as possible most of the time so that he wouldn't forget she was there, and try to avoid the subject for too long.

So Athena sat there and wondered. She wondered what had happened to Harry the night before. She wondering if the boy she was leaning on would eventually ask her out. She wondered how they got the caramilk into the caramilk bar. She wondered about many things.

"Harry?" she said, in an attempt to voice the confusion in her mind.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"Why didn't you tell us about what happened last night before we went to breakfast? Before we read it in the paper like everyone else? We care about you, and yes, we worry about you and chastise your actions sometimes, but it's _because_ we care, not just to annoy you. We're your friends, Harry, we're here for you just like we know you're here for us, but when you keep things from us like that...well...I just figured you knew what that felt like and wouldn't do it to others." she summarized.

Harry's initial reaction was anger, but as she spoke, he quickly realized the truth in her words. They did care, and he was treating them the same way he had been treated all of last year. Thinking of his hypocritical behaviour, he sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry. You all deserve better." he sighed, as he admitted defeat, "So, what do you want to know?" Harry asked.

"Anything at all?" she verified.

"Anything." he answered

"Ok, what are _we_?" she asked him, right out of left field.

She could feel his body tense, "We? When I said anything, I meant anything about the battle last night."

She raised her head to look at his face and rested her chin on his shoulder, "You didn't say that. You said 'anything at all'. We got all the information that we needed from the Prophet except for what you were doing there in the first place, which we'll talk about later. What I really want to know, though, is where _we_ stand."

Harry was staring at the fire in front of him with fear in his eyes, doing a great impression of a deer caught in headlights as beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.

"Well...you see...um..." he stuttered, as she waited patiently. The bushy red haired girl continued to look at him with a small smile on her face, but he didn't notice, as his worried eyes never left the fire.

He took another deep breath before answering, "Ok, it's like this. I like you, I really do, but I don't know if it's that kind of 'like'. I know I feel something for you, but what if that something isn't a boyfriend/girlfriend something? I just don't want to lose a friend because I jumped into a relationship that I shouldn't have." he said. The words just flowed out of his mouth without doubt or hesitation, and just a little apprehension, and it was obvious to her that he was telling the truth.

Athena smiled a little brighter, "I feel something for you too Harry, and I admit that you might be right, it might not be that kind of something. But I know that I like this," she said, squeezing the arm she was still leaning against, "And if we aren't meant to be, then we aren't. And as for losing my friendship, you have to do something really bad for that to happen, and let me tell you, that there isn't much I wouldn't do with you right now that would affect our friendship even if we broke up next week." she told him.

Harry looked plenty confused.

"Why don't we just say that we're 'seeing' each other. That way there's no commitments but we can act as a couple would. This gives us a chance to explore our feelings for each other, while at the same time giving us an easy out if we find it's not going the way we want it to, or if we find someone else." she suggested, matter-of-factly.

"Really?" asked a skeptical Harry as he turned his head to look her in the eye.

In doing so, however, he brought his face within an inch of hers, and she took advantage of this and gave him a small kiss.

"Yes, really." she said with a smile.

"You...you don't mind that I might not like you like that?" he asked, still trying to get a feel for this new type of relationship he was finding himself in.

"I don't mind." and just to prove her point, she kissed him again, "Do you mind that I might not like _you_ like that?" she asked in return, to which he only shook his head in the negative, still looking extremely confused.

"Harry, I don't mind, because I know you would never take advantage of me, and you wouldn't do anything to me that I would regret later. If it doesn't last, it doesn't last, but I'm sure as heck gonna enjoy you as much as I can until you come to a definite conclusion." she grinned.

This time, Harry smiled back, and then leaned in and kissed her much more deeply then she had kissed him the last two times. AS they kissed, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. After they separated, he smiled.

"Thank you Athena. That's one less thing I'll be worrying about right now." he told her.

She smiled back, "You still have to figure out what you want Harry, I'm just giving you more time to do it, while at the same time getting a little something for myself." she told him, before lowering her arms to a spot around his waist, scooting in a little closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder again to look at the fire burning brightly before them.

They continued to sit there, watch the fire, talk and occasionally kiss until about 11pm, at which point they said their goodnights, and went up to their rooms.

As soon as Harry entered his bed and closed the curtains, he flashed over to Godric's office and entered Potter Mansion too happy about the night's events to check the map wall as he usually did. If he had, he would have seen the dots of Ron and Hermione standing quite closely together in a secluded hallway, surrounded by labels reading Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Malfoy.

* * *

Remus was doubled over on himself in the lounge at Potter Mansion that night after having witnessed Ginny's prank in Harry's pensive. 

"That was excellent Ginny. I think the best part was the look of total confusion on the faces of the purebloods when the spell wore off." he told her as he laughed.

"Thanks!" she said happily.

"But where did you ever see the Smurfs?" asked a confused, yet still entertained, werewolf.

"When I was younger, I made friends with some of the children in the village near my place. Mum thought it was a good idea that I had some female friends too, even if they were muggle. We never told my dad about it though. I don't even want to think of the questioning that would take place if he found out that I was completely proficient in most muggle appliances and gadgets." she told them.

"Wait a sec! If you know all about muggles, then why do you need my help in Muggle Studies." asked Harry curiously.

"Well...I guess I don't actually." replied the slightly blushing girl before grinning, "But my NEWT will a whole lot easier if you can tell me what kind of questions they asked. So I still get something out of it."

"Yep! She's definitely a Marauder." laughed Remus.

"Either that or a Slytherin." grumbled Harry before he grinned himself, much to the other two peoples' amusement.

After the laughter had died down, the old wolf turned to Harry, "Mr. Myth, do we have a name for this newest of Marauders?" They had started the meeting with Ginny showing Moony her animagus form, then they went over the prank and now they were in the final stages of the Marauder initiation.

"I do Mr. Moony. Her name is Miss Pixie"

"PIXIE!" exclaimed an irate Ginny.

"The initiate will be silent as the name is chosen." Moony warned her with a warning grin, then he turned to Harry, "Why Pixie, Mr. Myth?"

"I know that it is not closely related to her animagus form, and that tradition dictates that our names are related to our animals, but I feel that a pixie would be what best describes her personality and spirit. She's devious, impish, small, crafty and thanks to her animagus form, she too can now vanish at will." Harry paused dramatically to let his words sink in, as a lawyer in a trial would, before continuing, "I ask you, your Honour, what are Marauders if not rule benders and trendsetters? And what is a tradition, if not an unspoken rule." Harry stated.

"Too true, Mr. Myth, Too true." grinned the wolf. "So be it."

The last original Marauder turned back to the young lady, "As you have both completed your animagus transformation, and pulled off a prank that was worthy of a Marauder." he told her. "It is my honour to present you with your name."

Ginny grumbled to herself, but if she were honest with herself, Harry was right. Besides, Pixies aren't all bad, they were actually kind of cute, though she doubted Harry was thinking of that when he picked it.

Extending his wand, much like muggle royalty do with a sword during knighting ceremonies, "I, Mr. Moony, dub thee, Miss Pixie the second of this generation of Marauders, as a full fledged Marauder, with all the privileges and responsibilities of said position."

"Responsibilities?" asked Ginny with a raised eye-brow. Recognizing the reaction as identical to Harry's, Moony didn't even try to bite back the laugh that escaped his mouth. Harry too recognized the words and was also chuckling.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," said Harry, "It's just that I asked the exact same thing when he told me that on my initiation." he explained, which earned him a smile from her.

"To answer your question, their not so much responsibilities, as they are suggestions." Moony told her. "You have to perform and take credit for, at least one prank a month. You are now allowed access to the marauder's handbook, which is a full list of all of past Marauder pranks, how we made the map and a bunch of other things we did. The book is kept up in Sirius' room and is disguised to look like a copy of 'Hogwarts a History.' And everything you learn and do as a Marauder, stays with the Marauders."

"I wont let you down." she assured him with a mock salute.

"I know you wont, Pix." said Harry with a smile.

"Pix?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What? It's catchy!" he said, getting a chuckle form Remus.

"Now that you've been formally included, you can help me with my next house prank." Myth told her with a wicked gleam in his eye.

At that point, the last place he thought he'd be the next morning was in the hospital wing visiting two severely battered friends.

* * *

"For the last time, Harry, it's NOT your fault!" Ron told him from his bed. 

The attack the night before had been swift and brutal. Malfoy had dueled them both single handedly, and had won without injury, where as Ron had been rendered unconscious, and Hermione had gotten her leg sliced open, and had been subjected to a short, but painful, Cruciatus Curse from the platinum haired boy.

"Ok, ok, I know that. I still feel bad though." Harry finally conceded.

Both Ron and Hermione were recovering very well, and would be leaving the Hospital wing in a day or two. The fact that they had been beaten so easily, though, was something else that didn't sit well with Harry. It didn't sit well with him at all.

"I just want to know where he learned all of that!" Hermione said. Her leg was still raised and hanging in a sling from the frame above the bed. The muscles had been badly damaged, and madam Pomfrey had explained to her that keeping it raised like this slowed the blood flow to her leg, and allow it to heal at a more rapid rate.

"I was just thinking that too, Hermione." admitted Harry, "It worries me that he beat two of my best fighters without breaking a sweat."

"I wouldn't say that. We made him sweat a bit, mate." Ron said with a grin.

"Ok, without a scratch then. From what you said he fought you alone even though he three people there for backup, his reflexes were amazing, his shield work was exceptional, and his aim was extremely accurate. I still shudder to think what would have happened had Mrs. Norris not come around the corner and alerted them to the fact that Filch was on his way." Harry said with a frown.

"Harry!" Hermione chastised him, "How many times do we have to tell you that it's not your fault? You had nothing to with this. We were the ones who chose that we wanted to be...alone." she said with a slight blush.

"I know, but I could have prevented this." he told them both.

"How could you have prevented this? There's no possible way, Harry." Ron assured him.

"That's not true, I should have been inviting you guys to the Mansion every night with me. If I had, this never would have happened. So that's what I'm gonna do. Every night you want, you are welcome. I'm gonna set up a way for each of you to have access to a door that leads there. I'll set one door up in our dorm room, and the other in Hermione's. Ginny can get to it from Hermione's room."

"What about Parvati and Lavender?" asked Hermione.

After thinking for a second, he raised his head and smiled, "I have an idea. By the time you're out of here it will all be set up."

* * *

True to his word, a couple of days later when Ron and Hermione had finally been released from the Hospital wing, Harry asked the Mansion group to follow him. 

At first they all thought they were on their way to the Gryffindor common room, but then Harry, who was walking hand in hand with Athena, turned down a not very often used corridor instead, and stopped them in front of a statue of a lion.

Apart from Harry, the only other person in the group that wasn't surprised was Ginny, a fact that Hermione silently noted to herself.

Without warning, the statue let out a silent roar, and moved aside to reveal a staircase. The staircase then started to rise in a spiral which Hermione and Ron both recognized as being similar to that of the one leading to the Headmaster's office.

Harry motioned for them to follow him. At the top was a large door that Harry quickly opened and entered.

The group was in awe as they took in the sites of Godric's office. Ron and Blaise were particularly drawn to the map, where as Hermione made a b-line to the book case. Neville and Demeter started looking around, Ginny walked over to the desk and unceremoniously took a seat in the chair and Athena didn't leave Harry's side.

"Welcome to Godric Gryffindor's office." Harry said. He then reached into his pocket and produced a handful of rings.

"Here you go." he said as he handed one to each person, "There's one for each of you."

"What are these?" asked Hermione as she examined hers warily.

"They're rings. What do they look like?" Harry responded cheekily.

"You know what I mean Harry!" Hermione threatened.

He smiled, "Yes sis, I know what you mean." She smiled at the name, her earlier frustration forgotten.

"They are platinum rings and have all been charmed the same." Harry explained.

"I'd guess that one of the charms is a fitting charm." commented Neville as he watched the ring adjust itself on his finger.

"That's one of them, yes. The others are invisibility, the ring can not be seen by others who are not wearing a similar one, but the main enchantment is a limited ranged portkey which will bring you here, and then return you to whenever your point of departure was. Since the main door of the mansion is always set up here, you can do what I do every night." Harry told them.

_Like my bracelet?_ Inquired Ginny mentally.

'Yes. But your bracelet is much more powerful. You can use it from anywhere in the world, where as the rings can only be used within Hogwarts.' he responded in kind.

"Harry? How did you do this?" asked a mystified Athena, "Those aren't easy spells, and the fact that the destination is within the wards..."

"Makes it impossible! Not to mention illegal! Harry James Potter! What were you thinking!" interrupted Hermione.

"First of all, I am a founder's heir, and as such this school technically belongs to me. It is NOT illegal to create your own portkeys as long as they do not leave your own property, according to the Magical Transportation Act of 1482. And so these are perfectly legal. As for how I did it, I used a limited ranged portkey spell which I found in my library, and I also asked Hogwarts for assistance to slip around her wards and also to be able to return you to where you started from." Harry explained.

Seeing that both of her arguments were so successfully shot down, Hermione chose not to say anything else about it for a while.

"Asked Hogwarts?" inquired Blaise.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention that part. Since I'm the Heir of Gryffindor, I can actually communicate with the limited consciousness that was infused into the school by the founders. She's actually very nice, and quite helpful." he added with a smile.

Blaise just shook his head in disbelief. The more he found out about his friend, the more he felt like a secondary character in some sort of fantasy story.

* * *

During lunch a few days after Ron and Hermione had been released, the Mansion Group minus Ginny who was currently sitting with her boyfriend, were sitting at the Gryffindor table enjoying their lunch and each other's company, when a lone owl flew in the window, and began heading towards them. 

"What's that?" asked Ron as he squinted up at the owl, "Post doesn't usually come at lunch."

"It's heading this way." pointed out Demeter.

"Harry? You don't think it's your..." Athena started, but seeing her quasi-boyfriend's reaction to her unfinished question, she figured he was thinking the same thing as her and so she just held his hand tighter.

Harry's NEWT results were here.

"Harry? Are you ok?" asked Demeter when she saw his chalk white face.

Harry probably would have answered her if he had the ability to speak. Too bad his stomach had taken up residency in his throat, making speech an impossibility.

Sure enough, the owl dropped its letter directly in front of Harry before flying away.

With a shaky hand, Harry lifted the envelope before him.

Neville grinned at Harry's horror, "You better not let some of those Slytherins see you reacting like this or the next thing you'll know, Voldemort will be coming at you with test results during the final battle in hopes that it will throw you off."

Harry smiled at his friend's attempt to lighten the mood.

"Honestly, Harry, you've face Him how many times? And the thought of your NEWT results frightens you?" prodded Athena, making Harry's smile increase.

"How can you say that?" asked Hermione, "Of COURSE he's nervous! That's the rest of his life right there in his hands! If he didn't pass he can't start teaching! What will he do with his life if he failed!" she asked in a panic of her own.

The rest of the group groaned and shook their heads at the bushy haired witch's explosion. When she heard their reaction and saw Harry's new found look of horror and dread, she grimaced and realized that she wasn't helping the situation.

"Hermione? For the smartest witch of the age, you can say some pretty dumb things. Maybe it's from spending so much time with me. OH NO! I'm starting to rub off on her! Love! How are you feeling?" he asked in mock concern. The group chucked as much at Ron's question, as at Hermione's facial expression.

"Ronald Weasley! I can't believe you just said that!" she chastised him, trying hard to hold back a grin.

"Well, it got the reaction I was hoping for." Ron told her with a grin of his own before giving her a kiss.

"Ok, ok, break it up! Some of us are still trying to eat here!" Neville told him.

The mindless banter had, once again, lowered Harry's stress level.

"Well? Open it up Harry. We're all waiting." prodded Neville.

Harry shook his head clear, and opened the envelope.

He unfolded it slowly and read:

_These are the NEWT test results for Harry James Potter_

_As supervised officially by Griselda Marchbanks, Albus Dumbledore,_

_and all practical testing was led by a master of each corresponding field._

_Unlike with the OWL testing, only one NEWT is given for a passing grade, regardless of the mark received._

_The results of your tests and corresponding marks are as follows in order of lowest to highest marks earned:_

_**Astronomy**  
- Theory: Acceptable  
- Practical: Acceptable  
Over all: A  
**1 NEWT**_

_**Herbology **  
- Theory: Acceptable  
- Practical: Exceeding Expectations  
Over all: EE  
**1 NEWT**_

_**Muggle Studies**  
- Theory: Exceeding Expectations  
Over all: EE  
**1 NEWT**_

_**Care of Magical Creatures**  
- Theory: Exceeding Expectations  
- Practical: Exceeding Expectations  
Over all: EE  
**1 NEWT**_

_**Transfiguration**  
- Theory: Exceeding Expectations  
- Practical: Outstanding  
Over all: O  
**1 NEWT**_

_**Charms**  
- Theory: Outstanding  
- Practical: Outstanding  
Over all: O(i)  
**1 NEWT**_

_**Potions**  
- Theory: Outstanding  
- Practical: Outstanding  
Over all: O(ii)  
**1 NEWT**_

_**Defense Against the Dark Arts**  
- Theory: Outstanding  
- Practical: Outstanding  
Over all: O(iii)  
**1 NEWT**_

_(i) Score was among the top 100 scores awarded in this subject over the last 100 years,  
(ii) Score was among the top 10 scores awarded in this subject over the last 100 years.  
(iii) Score was the highest score awarded in this subject over the last 100 years (The last 589 years actually)_

_Congratulations on your achieving of **8 NEWTs** and an over all mark of **Outstanding**. _

_For more information on what jobs are open to you with the marks you have received, please contact the Ministry of Magic's Job placement office and they would be happy to aid you in finding a career suitable to you and your abilities._

_Minister of Education: Griselda Marchbanks  
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Albus Dumbledore  
Minister of Magic: Emmeline Vance_

The silence among the majority of the Great Hall when he finished was his first indication that others had been listening in. If he hadn't caught that hint, he certainly clued in when the vast majority of the great hall exploded into cheers shortly after he finished.

Athena leaned over and gave him a kiss on his right cheek, as Demeter did the same on his left. Neville and Ron both reached over and punched him in the shoulder in congratulations from the other side of the table, as Hermione had taken one of his hands and smiled at him brilliantly. Ginny even sent him a mental hug.

When Harry finally lifted his head from the sheet of paper in front of him, he first met Ginny's eyes. When he saw the look of pride in her eyes and the encouraging smile on her lips, and he smiled a thank you to her in return. He then looked up at the head table and saw the Headmaster smiling at him, his eyes all a twinkle, and raised a glass to him for his accomplishment.

Harry smiled back, a great smile of relief and joy, his eyes too twinkling brightly, and also raised his glass towards his professor in thanks.

It too about half an hour for everyone who wanted to congratulate Harry had gotten a chance too, and the flurry of activity has died down.

"That's more attention then I ever want to see for my marks mate." Ron joked, earning a chuckle from the others.

"I'm pretty sure that that's something you'll NEVER have to worry about Ron." Neville joked in return, getting a much larger rise out of the group then Ron had.

"And again, there's Neville with the sarcasm. Haven't you ever heard of tact, mate?" asks Ron in an attempt to salvage what's left of his pride, though not seeing that this was a prime example of the pot calling the cauldron black.

"You know what they say, Ron," Neville snorts, "Tact is for people who aren't witty enough to be sarcastic."

* * *

Severus Snape was torn as he watched the events unfold in the Great Hall. As the potions master of this school, and one the foremost expert in England in the subject, he was privy to the marks the young Potter had achieved. 

The boy had gotten _the same_ mark on his NEWT potion exam as he had. Though Severus had scored higher in the theory, Potter had scored higher in the practical, balancing out the marks to the same.

Severus was confused.

When he looked back at the group of children surrounding his once most hated student, he saw how uncomfortable the actually was with the attention. This was one of the few times that Snape would not have insulted the boy for basking in it, he actually did achieve something exceptional, but he still didn't want it.

This did not line up with the image of the arrogant, attention-starved boy that he had solidified in his mind.

What had happened to the arrogant braggart who showed absolutely no ability in potions? Did that boy ever actually exist? Had Severus allowed himself to be blinded by his past experiences and preconceived prejudices?

All he knew was that the boy had never shown any type of affinity for potions in his class, and now the Head of Slytherin wanted to know why.

Had he really oppressed such an obviously gifted potions student? If so, how many other promising future potions masters had he hindered or even destroyed over the years.

He had always thought that his results spoke for themselves. Even though his senior classes are small, _all_ of his NEWT students finish with EE or higher. He was proud of this accomplishment as a teacher, but had he unnecessarily driven away other promising students who could have done better had his behaviour in the younger classes been curbed?

He regretted that this might be the case, but at the same time, if the individuals weren't strong enough to get past it, or as in the case of young Potter, to find a way around it, he wasn't so sure they deserved to be masters of anything anyways. He knew he had some thinking to do on this topic, but at the same time, he was also sure it wouldn't be anything that would keep him up at night.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in similar form. People coming up to shake Harry's hand, pat him on the back, or in the case of a large portion of the female population of Hogwarts, to give him a tight, and unnecessarily prolonged, hug. More then once Harry had been sure that he felt a hand on his bum during the embrace, but he was really in too good a mood to complain. 

That evening, the entire DA got together in the DA Common room to celebrate Harry's accomplishment, and the party went well into the night. At curfew, Harry and his closest friends moved the party to the Mansion. They had been spending the last few night anyways, taking full advantage of the extra day every night to catch up on homework, and in the case of Ron and Hermione, snogging, but tonight they spent the whole night socializing and enjoying each others' company.

At about 4 in the morning PT, after almost everyone had headed off to bed, Athena gave Harry a goodnight kiss, got up from his lap which she had been sitting in, and left for bed herself.

"And then there were three." said Harry as he took another sip of his butter beer.

Harry, Ginny and Blaise were only ones still conscious, and if the yawns were any indication, it didn't look like the party would be lasting that much longer.

"Well my friends," started the Slytherin, "I'm off to bed as well. Don't stay up too late." he added with a wink. Blaise had noticed over the last few months the interactions between Harry and Ginny and so he wanted to give them a little time to themselves. He could see the signs even if they couldn't, he wasn't head of espionage for nothing.

Harry had noticed that Blaise had been ready to nod off for the last hour, but wasn't sure why he had waited so long before heading to bed.

After the spymaster left, Ginny got up too, "Now that the party's done, and the glory seeker is appeased, I guess I should head off to bed too." she teased, trying to leave the room before he could retaliate.

She would have succeeded too, unfortunately, she hadn't expected him to bring magic into it. And when his patented solid shield came into existence in front of her, and blocked her escape, she knew she was in trouble.

"So I'm a 'Glory Seeker', am I Miss Pixie?" he grinned as he slowly made his way towards her with a predatory look in his eyes.

She yelped in surprise and a bit of fear before trying to scurry away from him.

'No...uh...I meant 'glorious seeker'. Ya, that's it. You're a terrific, amazing, fantastic seeker." she said, in hopes of avoiding retaliation, and giggled as she scurried about, trying to avoid him.

Unfortunately for her, the walls of his shield started closing in instead, bringing her ever closer to the stationary Harry who stood by, waiting patiently for her to run out of room to run.

When she was finally within reach, she yelped again as he grabbed her arm, and forced her against the wall, held her there with his body, and tickled her mercilessly.

Ginny's giggling had turned to full laughter to the point of tears.

"Myth! Stop it...I'm sorry..." she exclaimed loudly through her laughter, between gasps of breath, "I... was... just... teasing..."

It was during her squirming and laughter, with her body next to his, that Harry suddenly realized something.

As he felt her curves pressed up against him, his laughter began to slow, as did his tickling motion, where as his heartbeat began to quicken. 'How could I have been so blind' he thought to himself as he stopped tickling her altogether, but kept her pinned against the wall, and looked down at the girls in his arms.

Ginny was thankful that Harry had stopped, but more then a little confused as to why. When she finally looked up to find out, their eyes met.

Harry stared into depths of the chocolate wells before him and it hit him. He didn't care about Athena as much as he cared about this beautiful young woman in front of him. It was then that he knew would never be able to love another. He loved Genevra Weasley.

'I love Ginny?' he thought, his mental shields still up, as he once again lost himself in those rich chocolate windows which shone with the complexity and beauty of her very soul.

Slowly, he started to lean in to kiss her, but Ginny's hand came up between them and she placed her fingers on his lips.

"Harry" she said in a longing whisper, but at the same time stern resolution "We can't. You...you're with Athena and I'm with Justin. No matter how you...or I may feel towards each other, we can't do this. Not to them."

"You're right" he said with a sigh, placing his forehead against hers, but not relinquishing his hold on her, "I have to break it off with Athena."

She replied in a quiet, questioning voice "And what do you expect me to do after you do that?"

With a slightly lopsided grin, he answered in what sounded more like a question "Drop everything and come with me?" he suggested, knowing full well she wouldn't, but hoping for it none the less.

"You know I can't Harry. You know I really care for you, I have for years, but…I really care for Justin too. You're handsome, funny, more compassionate then I thought humanly possible…"she added with a small grin of her own "and constantly have girls chasing after you. How long would it last? I can't throw away what I've built with Justin just because I have a chance at something with you. I'm sorry Harry."

"Don't be." he said with a true but sad smile, "You're kind, caring and compassionate too, but you're also loyal and thoughtful of the emotions of the people around you. I never really expected you to say anything other then what you did. But I wanted to be honest with you anyways."

"So...what are you going to do then?" she asked him, biting her lower lip slightly, still making no effort to escape his embrace.

He raised his head and once again looked her in the eyes. "I guess it will just be my turn to wait."

He could see the look of hurt in her eyes at his response "Harry you can't. You can't live your life waiting for someone on the slim chance you might get them." she told him, having come to that conclusion herself not that long ago.

Harry just shook his head and answered, "I have no other choice. My heart's already made that decision for me."

His head stopped shaking and again, he found himself lost in her eyes. 'I love you' he thought towards her.

A shiver ran up Ginny's spine, and her face betrayed her shock. "Wh...what? Did you just think what I think you just thought?"

He smiled, "Yes Gin. I love you." he said softly before continuing, "I don't know when it happened, but I know now that I have for quite some time. I was just never able to identify what it was. What I feel for Athena, what I've felt for the others, isn't this. I don't know exactly what it was, maybe it was intense liking mix with a bit of lust, but not this. This is like a warm blanket on a cold night, a hot bath after a long hard day, it's love in its truest form, and I could never go back to the other kind again."

After this he separated himself from the young woman he had pinned against the wall, he whispered, "Good night my love" and kissed her on the forehead before turning and leaving the lounge.

Ginny remained standing there in s a stunned silence, not able to believe what had just happened. The boy she had longed for, for the past five years had just professed his undying love to her.

'How could he do this to me!' she thought as her bewilderment began to be replaced with anger.

'It's not fair. I chase him for five years and when I finally decide to move on with my life, and find a great guy he comes and does this to me!'

'If I didn't love him so much, I'd kill him…' she stopped dead in her thoughts. Her rage melted away into grief as she sunk down against the wall. Her face buried in her hands, and her elbows on her knees, she began to cry.

'It wasn't supposed to be this way! He was supposed to come when I needed him most, when I was lost. He was supposed to pick me up and place me on his horse with him. Then we'd ride off together into the sunset. He wasn't supposed to come now, not when I finally start to figure things out, not when I've been able to hide these feelings for him deep inside and find someone else, not when things were actually starting to go right.'

She slowly composed herself, wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve, stood up and made her way to her room. Before entering, she looked over at the door behind which she knew Harry was sleeping.

'I'm sorry Harry, but I really am happy with Justin. Please understand.' She thought as new tears formed in her eyes. Finally, she entered her room and went to bed.

Her dreams that night were filled with visions of castles and dragons. But tonight, as she rode off into the sunset with the knight that had just saved her, she looked over his shoulder and saw another knight, whose banner proudly displayed a lightning bolt, getting there just a little too late. Seeing the slain beast, the second knight turned his head towards her and even from a distance, she could see the tears in his eyes.

* * *

**AN**: You know the drill. Read, Review and all that jazz. 

**Farfumsane.**


	44. Coming Around

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry this hasn't been beta-ed, but I'm going away for the next week and a half, and I didn't want to leave you lot hanging that long so I posted it as is. When I get back, I'll repost the edited version so if you don't want to read it now, then you can wait til then. If you don't see this note, then I've re-posted. Thanks, and for those of you who do read it now, I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **And now that you all hate me for what I did last chapter, so you are well aware that I am not making any money off this story, or else I wouldn't have had Ginny reject him like that now would I? So to state it plainly, it's not mine, it's hers, and I'm making nothing off it, she's making everything.

**Chap 43: Coming Around**

The next day in Potter Mansion started rather late, as none of the occupants woke before noon. Even Harry forwent his morning exercise regime in lieu of a few more hours of rest. Rest that never came though, as Harry found himself wide awake. He spent a good part of the morning, after only stealing four hours of sleep, laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling and listening to the music coming from his discman as he tried to sort out his life.

He had finally realized something last night: He loved Ginny.

As happy as this revelation made him feel, he was dealing with several countering emotion such as the pain of being rejected, the fear of Athena's reaction, the anxiety of dealing with Ron if he found out about it, and the annoyance of an 'I told you so' from Hermione to avoid. But the feeling...the joy, the elation, the over all contentment he felt with Ginny in his arms the night before was such a strong emotion that the others just felt like annoying flies buzzing around his head and nothing more then a nuisance.

But now what?

As he saw it, the threat of Voldemort aside, he had two things to do. Tell Athena, and wait.

When Harry finally decided to face the day, he got up, took a shower, got dressed and made his way down to the Dining Hall.

Once there he saw Ron, who was in the middle of eating, surprise, surprise.

"Hey Harry, how'd you sleep?" asked Ron between mouthfuls.

"Alright. Have you seen Athena today?" Harry asked as he grabbed a glass of orange juice. He didn't feel much like eating at that moment.

"I think I saw her out in the Park...walking...alone." Ron answered, as he raised his eye brows repeatedly in a suggestive manner.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Thanks Ron." he would have set Ron straight and told him he was going out there to break up with her, but he wanted her to be the first to know. She deserved that much at least. Besides, then Ron would ask why, and that's the last conversation he wanted to be having with Ginny's over protective brother right now.

As Ron had told him, Harry found her out in the Park sitting on the grass and staring at the lake.

"Hey Athena. How're you this morning?" he started casually.

She looked up, but when she saw his face, she frowned, "I'm not gonna like this am I?" she asked.

"What?" asked Harry, as he sat next to her, leaving about a foot of space between them.

She sighed, "You started with small talk, not a hug, you're forcing a smile and you've kept your distance. What's wrong? Was it something I did?" she asked sadly.

Harry hadn't realized he was being this obvious and felt bad that he was hurting her, but it had to be done.

_You don't have to do this Harry. _Ginny sent him.

'Yes I do Gin. It wouldn't be fair to her if I continued to date her...while I was in love with someone else.' he returned.

"I wont lie to you Athena, ever, so no, I don't think you're gonna like this, but I have to tell you. I refuse to lead you on when I know it's not gonna last." he looked her in the eyes, the disappointment and sadness he felt coming from her tore him apart, but he continued, "I'm sorry Athena, but I've just figured out that I'm in love with someone else. I can't keep seeing you when I know it's not going anywhere. I refuse to lead you on like that. I'm sorry." he admitted with a frown of his own.

Her eyes watered slightly, but she didn't cry, "I figured as much. I'm not even gonna ask who it is, cause I'm pretty sure I know." she smiled despite the tears that wanted to fall, "It took you long enough to figure it out, and I have to admit I was hoping you never would. But looking back I should have known, and I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Thank you for being honest with me, Harry. It means a lot."

She leaned in and gave him a hug, "You're a great guy Harry. I really wish it would have worked with us, but I'm not surprised, a little disappointed maybe, but not surprised." she admitted with a watery smile as they separated.

"So you're not mad?" he asked, rather cluelessly.

"No Harry, I'm not mad at you." she assured him.

"And her?" he asked, not sure what kind of reaction he would get.

"I'm not mad at her either. She was my friend before you were my boyfriend. Besides, it's not her fault either. I know you didn't do anything behind my back, and you didn't do it to hurt me. On the contrary, you came to me as soon as you realized, and did you're best not to hurt me at all. I don't blame anyone but the fates for this." she explained.

"Still friends?" asked Harry tentatively. He could feel her emotions, he didn't feel any deception from her, but her emotions were in such a swirl of confusion that he couldn't really make anything out of them.

"Of course!" she said, as she punched him in the shoulder, "Try and stop me. You're stuck with me, just like you're stuck with Hermione. Who knows, maybe I'll even eventually be able to see you like she does, but not quite yet." she told him with a real smile.

"Thanks Athena. I look forward to a time when I can call you sis too, and not make you cringe." he teased, which earned him another punch in the shoulder.

They talked and spent some time together for the next hour or so, building a new friendship apart from the attraction that had begun the last one.

* * *

"I'm sorry Harry, but there's nothing I can do." the Headmaster told him again, "The sensors I have in place in that section of the school were not functioning at the time, and a _prior incantatem_ on Mr. Malfoy's wand shows no trace of the spells that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger claimed he used." 

It had been a good month since the attack and nothing had been done about it. This was not something the teachers could just take the victims' word on, as the punishment would not be a mere detention, but jail time in Azkaban. Since it was evident that the Cruciatus Curse had been cast, they could not point fingers lightly. So Harry had decided to go up and visit the Headmaster to see if something was being done about it.

"What about Veritaserum? That would tell you right away!" Harry tried.

"Unless he agreed to do so it would be illegal, and the information gained would be useless." Dumbledore explained.

"What about pensive accounts form Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Again, it's not admissible as dreams appear the same as memories. I'm very sorry Harry, but my hands are tied. I have set up alarms now to go with the monitoring wards, so if any should fall, I'll know right away, but that's the best I can do at this time." the old Headmaster assured him.

Harry sighed in defeat, "Thanks you sir. I know you're doing all you can, I just hate seeing the guy who tortured my friends walking around a free man."

"That is understandable Harry. I'm sorry I can do no more." the professor apologized.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Harry became more and more involved in the teaching of classes to the point where Professor Reinblut had allowed him to take over a few completely and didn't even come to them anymore. 

Every night was spent in the Mansion, and though the mansion group didn't always attend, they were there more often then not. All except Ginny, who had been coming less and less since Harry's confession.

The few moments Harry had spent with her since that night had seemed strained and unnatural. She no longer spoke to him mentally, and she avoided him in the halls. They talked during DA, and whenever she came to the mansion, but even then she wouldn't say much, and kept all conversations to the point.

He missed her.

It was this thought that was playing in his mind one day at breakfast when the post came.

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Ron after reading his letter.

"Ronald! Language!" chastised Hermione.

"Sorry 'Mione, but look!" he said, handing her the letter.

"This is GREAT news!" she said with a brilliant smile, "Bill has proposed to Fleur and they'll be getting married in the summer!"

Everyone around them started to congratulate Ron.

"I'll tell Ginny later." her brother told them as he read it once more.

"That sucks!" Ron exclaimed as he lowered the letter.

"What is it, mate?" asked Harry.

"Well, Ginny and I are invited, as are you, Harry, and so are Hermione and her sisters, but Neville and Blaise aren't. It would have been nice to have the whole group there." Ron explained.

"Let me see." said Hermione as she grabbed it out of his hands and read it, "Actually, Ron, it says we can invite a guest. So technically they _could_ come."

Hermione, Ron and Harry all looked over at Demeter, who had now turned a rather brilliant shade of red. The whole group had been witness to the months of flirting between her and the Herbology buff, but neither Demeter nor Neville had been able to work up the courage to make the first real move.

However, now was too good a chance to pass up, so Demeter decided to show everyone why she was put into Gryffindor in the first place.

"Um, Neville?" she asked quietly, still very embarrassed.

"Yes?" he asked, a little flush himself. Neville had changed a lot. He was more confident with his professors and peers, he was louder, made jokes, and had much more self esteem, but there was one topic that still scared him to death. Girls.

"Did...did you want to go with me to the wedding?" she asked, even quieter then before.

Neville smiled brightly, "I'd love to."

Then screwing up all her courage she added, "as a date?"

A stuttering Neville had a hard time answering with words, so eventually he gave up when his mouth betrayed him and merely nodded.

The rest of the mansion group started cheering and applauding, much to the shy couple's dismay and embarrassment.

"Now THAT'S the Neville we remember." Ron said cheekily as he slapped him on the back.

Neville usually wouldn't let that kind of comment slide anymore, but he was too caught up in the moment to care. All he could do was continue to look across the table at Demeter and smile.

"Looks like we'll have to rearrange the seating plan. Neville, get over here." Harry told him with a smile as he slipped under the table and traded places with Neville. Harry now found himself on Ron's left, with Hermione on Ron's other side. Across from Harry was Athena, to her left was Neville and to Neville's left was Demeter. The last two were now holding hands under the table, much to the amusement of the others.

Harry then grinned at Athena, "Now it's your turn." he told her.

"What?" she asked, obviously confused.

"You have to ask Blaise." he told her with a grin. They were speaking quietly so the others couldn't hear them, not that they were listening as they were still enthralled with the Neville/Demeter development.

"What are you getting at, Potter?" Athena asked accusingly.

"Nothing! I'm just saying I doubt Hermione will, and I certainly wont since that just wouldn't look right. Which leaves you since Ron will _probably_ go with Hermione, and Ginny will most likely take Justin." he explained, trying his best not to display any emotion at that last bit.

Athena gave him a sad smile, as she knew exactly what he was going through, "Sorry for snapping, I thought you were implying something." she said apologetically.

"I was." Harry replied with a grin and a wink.

However, before Athena could retaliate, Parvati took it upon herself to change seats as well, and dropped herself next to Harry. Athena decided that nothing she could say to Harry would get him back for his teasing of her as well as letting Parvati have her way with him, so she just smiled, ignored Harry's pleading eyes, and began talking to Neville. Parvati, of course, wasted no time and started chatting it up with Harry about whatever passed through her mind.

Ron laughed to himself, as did the others of the mansion group, then leaned in to Hermione and whispered, "That was awfully nice to him to let Nev have his old spot, though I don't think he would have done it had he realized that he has just opened himself up to the rest of the female population of Gryffindor house again."

She nodded and laughed along with him, which earned them both a glare from Harry before he was literally dragged back into the conversation with Parvati.

It was about five excruciating minutes later that Dean and Seamus came up behind Harry and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Harry? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Dean asked, looking relatively worried.

"Sure thing Dean. I'll just grab my things." Harry said goodbye to everyone, except Parvati, grabbed his bag and left with Dean and Seamus.

Once outside the Great Hall, Harry asked, "What's the matter Dean?"

At that point the two other boys smiled mischievously, "Nothing at all, mate. You just looked like you needed some help."

Harry smiled back, "You two are Godsends! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

The two boys chuckled as they made their way up to the Gryffindor common room where they engaged in a rousing game of exploding snaps, and teased Harry about muggle songs.

* * *

"Hermione? You got a minute?" asked Harry as he saw her walking by the DADA class room. 

"Sure thing, Harry. What's on your mind?" she asked her brother.

"Do you talk to Ginny much?" he asked, with concern written on his face.

She frowned slightly, not knowing exactly where this was heading and answered, "Not lately. To tell you the truth, I haven't talked to her much this year at all except at the mansion and in our group settings. Why?"

"I'm worried about her." he explained. He went on to tell her all about that night, and how he had confessed his feelings to her. He then told her how he thinks Ginny had been pulling away from him, and even the rest of the group since then.

"I think you may be right actually. I haven't seen her at all over the past few weeks, even less then usual. I feel bad that I haven't noticed." she frowned, "I'm supposed to be her best friend." she lamented.

"It's not your fault Hermione, though I'm glad to hear I'm not imagining it, I don't like that she's pulling away from everyone because of me." he told her, "Should I talk to her? What should I do to make this right?"

Hermione smiled, "I know you're a guy, Harry, but not everything can be fixed quickly. I could talk to her, but I think you're right, I think you talking to her would have a much better result, just don't be pushy, and listen to her." she encouraged.

"Thanks sis. I'll do my best. I just wish..." he trailed off without finishing the thought.

"Ya, I know Harry. You should know that she still likes you. I'd say even more then she likes Justin, but the thing is, whether you meant to or not, you hurt her by waiting so long. Now she has to sort out what she really feels, and how important it all is to her. It'll work out Harry. I know it will." she reassured him.

"Thanks Mione." he said with a genuine smile, "That actually makes me feel much better. If YOU say something is gonna happen, then I know it eventually will. You haven't been wrong yet." he complimented her, before giving her a big hug.

"You're welcome, and thanks for your faith in me." she replied, as she hugged him back.

"I think I'll give her a bit more time. I told her I'd wait, and that I wouldn't push. So I'll give her til after the quidditch game. If things are still bad then I'll talk to her and see what I can do." he told her.

"Ok. In the mean time, I'll try to spend more time with her, and see if there's anything I can do to help her." Hermione told him as she picked up her books.

"Thanks sis." Harry smiled as she headed to the door.

"Anytime little brother. Now let's go to dinner. I'm starving!" she said

"You really HAVE been spending too much time with Ron. All you think about is food too." Harry laughed, before getting cuffed up side the head by an amused Hermione.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning found Harry in a dark mood as he re-read the article in the Daily Prophet. 

"It's not your fault Harry. You know that." Demeter assured him.

"I know. But...so much death." Harry muttered.

Voldemort had caved in a good portion of the London Underground during rush hour the night before. The muggle papers were calling them terrorist attacks, but there had been a couple of wizards in the crowd who had witnessed what had happened, before apparating out and warning authorities.

Athena frowned and held Harry's hand from across the table in silent support, while Hermione leaned over and gave him a one armed hug.

Harry appreciated the support, even if it wasn't helping all that much. The hardest part was waiting. He knew he wasn't ready yet to face Voldemort, but sometimes he just fest as though he was sitting back as all the carnage took place around him. He knew it wasn't true, but it was hard to not feel that way from time to time, especially at times like this.

Ron, oblivious to the mood that his friends were in, took a seat between Harry and Hermione after motioning her to move over.

"I can't believe we have to wait a week till the next game! This waiting is killer." Ron said as he grabbed some bacon with his one hand as he tore into the toast in his other.

Relieved by the distraction, Harry answered, "We've been practicing, and we're ready." before he reached for some food and put the paper down beside him in an effort to forget its contents.

"I can't help but feel antsy. The last couple of practices just didn't feel good, ya know? And being the captain and all, if things go wrong, I'm the one who gets blamed." Ron mumbled between mouthfuls.

"I know what you mean. But don't worry, it'll be fine." Harry assured him.

The last practice was so cold. Ginny just hadn't been getting into it, and tried to distance herself from both Harry and Ron during practices which made team work nearly impossible. Luckily the chasers didn't have too much to do with the seeker and the keeper or Harry would be a little more worried about the outcome of the next game.

"Don't worry about it Ron." piped in the recently arrived Neville, "It's not a big deal either way, win or lose, as long as your a good sport about it."

Ron grumbled his response as he heaped his plate full of seconds, "The problem with being a good sport, is that you have to lose to prove it."

* * *

Ron entered the locker room and threw his quidditch robes at the bench, "That was the WORSE game we have ever played! What's wrong with us?" he asked as he threw himself down next to his discarded clothes. 

"It was just an off day. We won. Don't be so down about it." Harry told him optimistically. You would never have guessed by watching the chasers that they had been working and practicing together since September. He knew whose fault it was, but he was trying to figure out the best way to approach her without alienating her further.

"Ya, I guess. It's just...well...170 to 160? Against Hufflepuff? If you hadn't of caught the snitch, we'd have been toast!" Ron sighed, "What's wrong with her? Ginny's never played that bad before. It's like the three of them were strangers up there."

"I know Ron. I'll talk to her, ok? I'll sort it out. If it continues...well...we'll deal with that later if we have to." Harry told him giving him a pat on the back.

Ron grudgingly agreed. He really hoped Harry could talk her out of her funk. If he didn't, then Ron would have to do something he really wasn't looking forward to: Cut his sister.

The rest of the team then entered the change room, so Ron and Harry put on their happy 'we just won' faces, and congratulated them on their win before they all showered and headed up to the common room for the post game party.

* * *

The fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherin Defense Against the Dark Arts class sat impatiently in their classroom. Their teacher, Professor Reinblut, was apparently running behind schedule. 

Not liking the silence anymore, and feeling the need to entertain herself, one of the Gryffindors decided to break the tense silence.

"What's wrong with you Ginevra?" asked Lea Ambers in a mocking tone, "You haven't seemed very happy lately. Your friends ditch you or something? I don't see you hanging out with them as much."

"My life is none of your business, Ambers! So sod off!" Ginny replied menacingly, but not raising her voice.

"Usually I'd agree with you, but you almost lost us that game three days ago, and I didn't appreciate that at all. Neither did many other Gryffindors for that matter. So? What happened? Did they move on to bigger and better things? Did Harry dump you? Oh right, you're dating that Flinch-Fencing guy from Ravenclaw, and not Potter. I keep forgetting."

Before Ginny could respond, and by respond, she was planning to place her tightly balled fist between that cow's eyes, red flashes of light started to fly at the group and then stop suddenly after three students fell.

Instantly, Ginny reacted, "Everyone! Form a circle in the middle of the class and aim your wands outward. They're just stunners! We have to stick together if we want to win this."

Just over half of the class reacted to her words and formed a circle around her. Most of them were in the DA.

"The spells are coming from somewhere on the outside edge of the class so keep your eyes peeled. I want you alternating. One person shield, the other offensive and send a stunner of your own. Got it?" she then tapped someone on the shoulder, "You're a shield." then she tapped the next person, "Stunner." Then she did the same with the rest of the group.

Then someone, who obviously wasn't in the DA, asked rather pretentiously, "And what are YOU going to be doing?"

"I'm gonna try to find you a target! When I tell you to fire, fire stunners at where I'm pointing. Got it?"

The group responded with nods and a few vocal agreements.

Lea and her cronies decided to try their luck and remained in their own cluster. Unfortunately, their little cluster had their back turned to the attacker, and the four of them were the next to fall.

Ginny had seen the origin of the spells this time though, and saw that her opponent was invisible, so she shot out an arc of green goo from her wand and canvassed the area the spell had come from.

Harry was just a little to slow, and some of the goo had hit is foot.

"Right there!" Ginny yelled as she pointed to the floor, "Stunners NOW!" she ordered, and then shot off a couple stunners of her own.

Harry quickly shielded himself form the spells, and cast a wandless scourgify on the goo, effectively cleaning his foot, before moving around the class to get a new vantage point.

He then made short work of the rest of the students who had not joined the circle.

In the mean time, Ginny had whispered new instructions to a few of her attackers when she saw that the stunners were easily shielded by the attacker. She watched the others students fall, and found a general area of where the attacker would be going, she then set up a perimeter spell just ahead of the attacker and waited for the right time to strike.

A couple of seconds later a small bell rang followed by Ginny shouting 'accio cloak' another two students casting 'finite incantatem' as the rest of them shot off stunners.

Harry felt his cloak blow slightly in the direction of the spell, but since it was warded against summoning spells, it remained, but the two 'finite's were enough to make him shimmer slightly, and weaken is shield enough for a couple of the stunners to slip through and this his cloak. Luckily, his cloak was quite magic resistant so it absorbed the spells easily since they weren't very powerful.

He then made himself visible. "That's enough, class. Very good, please return to your seats and we'll talk about what just happened." he instructed with a smile.

Hesitantly, the students followed instructions as Harry went around and revived the 'fallen' and told them to also be seated.

"If any of you don't know me, I'm Harry Potter, and will be taking over the instruction of all of your short classes while Professor Reinblut will be handling all of your double classes." Harry told them as an introduction.

"You can't teach us, you're just a student!" one of the Slytherin yelled out.

"Actually, that's where you're mistaken. As of two weeks ago, I am no longer a full time student here. I am an official teacher's assistant, and have already completed the NEWTs for this and other classes. Any other questions?"

"What if we refuse to be taught by a stinking Gryffindor!" another yelled out.

"Then you can drop the class and try to prepare for the OWLs on your own. Oh, and 10 points from Slytherin for disrespecting a teacher and house slander! And before you complain, yes, while in this classroom I am an official teacher and have the right to take away and give house points, and also assign detention if I deem it necessary. If you wish to test this, feel free, but I assure you that I have the Headmaster's full support." Harry told them as he leaned on the teacher's, his, desk at the front of the class.

"Yes! It's about time we had a teacher who puts those slimy Slyths in their place!" Leah Ambers whispered a little too loud.

"That'll be 10 points from Gryffindor, Miss Ambers, for insulting another house in my class." Harry told her rather sternly. He was not at all impressed that she was forcing him to take points from his own house, but he needed to make his point, and he was going to do it early on.

"Once you pass through those doors," he said as he pointed at the classroom doors, "I don't care if you are Gryffindors or Slytherins. To me, you are all equals. You are all students that I am teaching. ANYONE who chooses to make a comment that put anyone else down, or tries to place themselves above anyone else for ANY reason, will be disciplined accordingly. I will not only take off house points in this class. The punishment will suit the crime. As both Miss Ambers and Mister Pucey have discovered. They insulted another house, they lost their house some points." he explained.

"Does everyone understand?" Harry asked.

Everyone nodded and he smiled again, "Good, now back to the fun stuff." he said as he rubbed his hands together getting a chuckle from most of the students.

"Since you're all only one year younger then I am, and some of us are even pretty good friends, I will not insist that you call me Professor. Those of you who are comfortable calling me Harry, please do, but for those who aren't, when we are in this classroom, you will address me as Professor Potter, or simply Professor. When in the halls, call me whatever you like, but don't expect me to answer you if it's not something I'll recognize." he told them with a grin, which earned him a few scattered chuckles.

"For the rest of the class, we're gonna discuss the little exercise we did at the beginning. To help me with my explanation, and to tell give you a few pointers as to what you were doing well and what you should have been doing, I would like to introduce to you my assistant." he said as he motioned to the empty space beside him.

Just when the class was about to question his sanity, the ghost of Luna Lovegood materialized beside him.

"A Ghost? How can a _ghost_ help!" asked a snarky Slytherin.

"That's a good question. And to answer it, you will write me a five foot parchment on ghosts and their abilities for next class, or you will be serving a two week detention for insulting Miss Lovegood." Harry told him, "You were warned about condescending behaviour, and respect for others in this classroom."

"Five feet? But she's a ghost!" Del Samson complained.

"You're right. Five feet is much too short. How bout we say six feet."

"SIX FEET?" he retorted.

"Care to try for seven?" Harry countered, only to get a grumbled 'no' from Samson.

"Good. Now, as I was saying, Miss Lovegood will be telling us some of the things she saw as she was able to observe without being noticed, or interfering." Harry told them.

The rest of the class was spent discussing the attack. Luna's commentary, though sometimes a little off topic, was invaluable as she had been able to remember every spell cast, who's casting was accurate, who's needed work, and who worked well with others, and so on. At the end of the class, all the students who had listened to Ginny were very grateful that they had, as they had received full marks for the exercise, where as those who hadn't got varying scores based on their performance, how long they stayed conscious, and other things.

The first three people hit with Harry's stunners were exempt from grading as this was the first time anything like this had been done in class, but Harry was quick to warn everyone that in the future they should always be expecting the unexpected.

"As an acquaintance of mine, who was quite accurately impersonated in my fourth year, is fond of saying, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

As the students were packing up, Harry called out to both Lea and Ginny to wait after class.

Harry asked Ginny to wait as he talked to Lea first. Ginny noticed it was obviously a reprimand, though whether it was about what she had said before class, or during class, she wasn't sure. She knew Harry had been invisible, and most likely heard Lea's insults, but Ginny really hoped Harry wasn't trying to fight her battles for her.

After he was done with Lea, she left, and Harry turned his attention over to Ginny.

"I really hope you weren't trying to stick up for me with that witch. I can handle my own problems." she told him in no uncertain terms.

He smiled slightly, "Not at all Gin. I was just telling her that the next time she insulted anyone in my classroom, she's be getting a detention. I didn't mention you, and I told the same thing to that Samson boy in class. Your name didn't come up once."

"Good. So, what did you want to talk to me about? Was something wrong with my behaviour in class" asked Ginny formally after the others had left. It was obvious she didn't want to be there.

Harry sighed. He thought maybe that had broken the ice, but apparently not, "I just wanted to tell you that I was impressed with the way you handled class today. You showed real leadership, and a level head."

"Thank you Harry." she responded, again in a formal, impersonal tone, "Is that all?"

"Ya, that's all." Harry told her with a frown.

But just when she was reaching for the door, though, he spoke again, "Gin? What's wrong?" he asked quietly, but loud enough for her to hear him.

She turned to him, and feigned ignorance of what he was speaking about. He was looking at the ground in front of him, but she could still see his face rather clearly.

"We miss you Gin. I know you don't want to go out with me, I can accept that, and I promise I wont do anything you don't want me to, and I wont force, but why are you shutting us _all_ out? Hermione and Ron are both worried, the others are trying to figure out what happened, and I can't stand this. I miss my best friend." he told her honestly, trying to contain the flood of tears that were threatening to escape.

"I didn't want this, I didn't want to lose a friend. I wanted to make it more, not eliminate it." he continued. He was losing the fight, and she could see that, as a lone tear trickled down his cheek.

"Just pretend I didn't say anything. Please don't leave me...us. I can't lose your friendship. Please Gin." he begged, as he raised his eyes to meet hers.

If she wasn't feeling bad before, the look on Harry's face; the red eyes and the tear track running down his cheek, would have done it. But she _was_ already feeling guilty. It had been three weeks since she'd spoken to Harry mentally, though she did occasionally check to see if his barriers were up, to see if he would shut her out as she had been doing to her, but they never were. She knew he'd never give up on her.

She walked back up to him and pulled him into a tight hug, a hug that he gladly returned. He continued his fight, and with her support, soon won it. His feelings of loss and sadness were quickly replaced by ones of happiness at the thought of the young woman in his arms.

Her muffled voice spoken up from his chest, "I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean to hurt you, any of you. I was just so confused, I didn't know what to do." she admitted, and he could tell she too was trying hard not to cry. It appeared that he wasn't the only one who had felt alone for the past few weeks.

"Shh, Gin. It's ok." he assured her as he rubbed his hand in circles on her back as they continued their embrace, "We're all still here, and we're not going anywhere. You're stuck with us." he said with a tearful smile.

She sniffled and laughed, "I guess I am." she said, before loosening the embrace and looking up at him, "Though I could think of worse things." she told him with a watery smile, one which he returned warmly.

"Tell me what I have to do not to push you away anymore. I can't stand not having you around as a friend. As my best friend." he told her.

"Harry, don't chance a thing. Please. I was the one being dumb, not you. I know you weren't pushing, and that you wouldn't, and I know you would respect my wishes and wouldn't try anything, I should have known better. It's me who should be asking you how to fix this." she told him, finally stepping back. They were no longer hugging, but were holding each others' hands and standing face to face.

Harry smiled and shook his head, "You don't have to do anything Gin. Just come back to us, and say hello once and a while. I miss our silent conversations."

"So do I." she admitted with a smile of her own.

'You coming tonight then?' he asked her mentally.

_I'd love to. Thanks Harry. Thanks for not giving up on me, and coming to find me._ She replied mentally, for the first time in ages. 

"I'll always come for you Gin. Always." he assured her, feeling the need to say it aloud.

He soon heard a knock at the door, and Ginny laughed, "Don't you have a class now that you should be teaching?"

"Ya, but this was more important. Much more." he told her with a smile, "You might want to portkey up to Godric's office and head to class from there. I'm sure you don't want the first year Gryffindor and Slytherin class to start speculating as to what you were doing in here alone with me behind a locked door." he said with a suggestive grin.

Placing her hands on her hips, and sending him a mock glare, she said, "Mr. Myth, I'm sure you would do a more then capable job of explaining that I was here merely to go over an incident that occurred in the last class. But to save you the hassle, I'll do it anyways." After she had stuck her tongue out at him, she disappeared.

'Man I love that girl.' he thought to himself after making sure his mental shields were up before dropping them again. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her now, but sometimes, some things just had to be thought about.

Harry shook his head clear, smiled and activated his robe, giving him chameleon properties. Then, he wandlessly and wordlessly unlocked and opened the door.

He was in a good mood and feeling rather playful. Now would be a great time to test the first year's shielding charms.

* * *

**AN:** There, this is a start at least, right? It will come to pass, don't worry. But things must unfold as I've seen them in my mind, or the story wont make any sense at the end. As confusing as that sounds to you, trust me, I know what I'm talking about. 

Anyways...Thanks for all the reviews, and thanks for having enough faith in my story telling abilities to not drown me in rotting vegetation...though I was kinda taken aback with one reviewer who tried to AK me for what I did to Harry. Don't worry Murdrax, Harry'll be thanking me later.

Keep the Reviews a comin, and I hope you keep enjoying the fic.

I want to wish you all a very Merry belated Christmas, and a very happy and blessed new year. Drink responsibly every one...I don't want to lose any readers this holiday.

**Farfumsane**


	45. A Snake, a Rat and a bunch of Dogs

**Disclaimer: **Do you have any idea how often I wish I actually DID own the rights to the Harry Potter universe? But unfortunately, it's only a dream, and will ever only be a dream, as I am just a poor, starving student...ok...maybe not starving, but I am a poor student, who doesn't own something as grand as this world of HP or its characters...I do own a pretty nice futon though...

**Chap 44:** A Snake, a Rat and a bunch of Dogs

How Draco despised these encounters. It was bad enough that his lord's little rat wasn't a Slytherin, but did he really have to be a...never mind, it was best not to think about such things right before a meeting. It always put him in such a negative mood.

Draco had already set up the area for the meeting, and so instead of working himself up thinking about the more undesirable aspects of this mission as he waited, he leaned on the wall and toyed with the amulet around his neck. It had been a gift from his lord. When Draco had told him that he suspected Hogwarts to contain a telepath, his lord gifted him with this mind-shielding device to keep his most faithful servant safe. With this amulet, and the spells his lord had taught him to keep away any sort of prying eyes and ears during his meetings, he knew he would never be caught.

His lord had even taught him a spell that would lock any information inside the head of the spy about their meetings or the rat's missions, so that it could not be recovered by anyone else. This method was more dangerous then the amulet, but neither him nor the Dark Lord knew who the Telepath was, so if the telepath had already scanned the worthless scum's mind, they would be suspicious if it suddenly became inaccessible. There was a small chance of permanent brain damage to the target, but really, it didn't seem to bother his lord so who was he to question?

"You're late." he drawled as the boy entered the temporary wards, "You know how I hate to be kept waiting."

"I'm sorry Malfoy, I just couldn't get away any sooner. They were in the middle of drills. The others would have noticed if I just up and left." the snitch stuttered.

"I don't want to hear excuses! CRUCIO!" the platinum haired boy cried. He only held the curse for a split second, but that was all that was needed to get his point across.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, I have a mission for you from our lord." Malfoy explained. He then handed the other boy a rolled up piece of parchment and the wand he had just used to curse the traitor.

The rat took the offering and looked at the wand.

"Is this the one you used on Weasley and Granger?" he inquired as he slowly put the pieces together in his mind, "That's why it couldn't be pinned on you! It wasn't your wand."

"Would you shut up, you useless fool! Why don't you yell it a little louder? I don't think everyone in the Great Hall heard you. I swear, I'm surprised you weren't put in Gryffindor with the way you act before thinking!" Draco chastised despite his knowledge that the spells he had cast would contain any sound, "Now get going. Do your job, just make sure it can't be traced back to you."

"No problem." the rat assured him.

"Oh! I almost forgot, CRUCIO!" Draco called out as he pointed the wand that was now in his hand at the sniveling heap in front of him. He held it only for a couple of seconds this time, "I don't want you to think that's the only spare one I had. If you fail, I will find you, and you will suffer a worse fate then this. Now go!"

The spy quickly exited, leaving a smirking Draco in his wake.

* * *

That meeting wasn't the only secret gathering occurring that night, and the current Marauders were having a little planning session of their own.

"I know you want to hit the Slytherins next, but I'm saving them for last. Just remember, patience is a virtue my dear Pixie." Harry told her playfully.

"I still can't believe you saddled me with a nickname like 'Pixie'" she grumbled.

"The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can have power over it. Remember, fear of a name, only increases fear of the thing itself!" he told her in a false voice of wisdom, surprisingly like that of the headmaster. Myth then had to quickly duck the swing directed at him of course.

"Fine. You win. Hufflepuff it is then. What did you have in mind." she asked.

"Well...you see...I mean...keeping with the theme of attacking them in the Great Hall...we could...Ok, the truth is I got nothin. I thought maybe you could come up with something." Harry smiled hopefully, which earned him a laugh from his partner in crime.

She grinned a grin worthy of the twins, "I just so happens I do..."

* * *

The Hufflepuff table was empty the next morning, and by now everyone in the school knew that this meant there was a prank in the air, and they couldn't wait for the show to begin.

With Ginny's help, and Harry's power, they had come up with something that would not only get a laugh, but display Hufflepuff's most prominent trait: Loyalty.

Myth and Pixie had rigged their common room exit not to be able to open until a half an hour into breakfast, as they had with the other pranked houses, so as to allow as much of a viewing audience as possible.

Right on cue, there was a large commotion outside of the door of the great all, which put everyone on the edge of their seats in anticipation. The doors then burst open to reveal...dogs? Yes, a large group of dogs.

"That one looks like Lassie." cried on spectator.

"Isn't that Old Yeller?" asked another.

There were also Snoopies, Buds, Marmadukes, and there was even a big red Clifford, though not to actual size, among the throngs of Television and cartoon characters who appeared.

Everyone was laughing, even if most didn't understand why this prank had been chosen.

Soon the telltale writing appeared in the wall, however, to explain the mystery.

"Misters Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and Myth, along with their newest member, Miss pixie, would like to commend the Hufflepuff house for their house spirit. The loyalty found in your house is second only to the loyalty found in a dog for its friends. And to you Hufflepuffians who may be 'tick'ed off, or 'howling' mad, we ask you not to fret your situation, for remember: Every Dog has his day!"

After reading the message, a new wave of even more boisterous laughter filled the hall.

This prank was a little shorter then others as the Marauders would never want anyone one to miss a meal, so as soon as they touched one of the benches at the Hufflepuff table, they reverted to their original forms. Unfortunately for some of them, they had run down to the common room in order to see what all the commotion was about before they had gotten dressed for the day. This hadn't stopped the spell on their common room from taking effect though, and now there were a good number of rather embarrassed students in only their sleep wear. And for some, that wasn't much at all.

"Hey Ernie!" cried Ron, "Don't you sleep in more then that?" he asked his Hufflepuff friend as the poor boy was trying to hide himself behind someone else as he was only dressed in only a pair of boxers that had little snitches flying around on them.

Of course, not to let Ron get the last laugh, Neville piped in, "What are you complaining about Ron? That's still more then you usually wear!" which caused the redhead to blush profusely and the laughter around them to double.

Soon, seeing the humour in the situation, Ernie too stepped out and bowed to the assembled masses, before turning and walking out of the Hall to get dressed properly.

The mansion group laughed it up for a while, knowing full well who was responsible, but not being able to prove it. Harry and Ginny denied any involvement, of course, but this didn't stop the stares of loathing that were currently being directed at them from the Potions Professor to lessen any.

For their part, the Hufflepuff students took it all in stride, and laughed along with the rest of the houses at a prank well done. Though, it might also have been because they couldn't wait to see what happened to the Slytherins next!

* * *

One afternoon a few days later, Harry was cleaning up the classroom after when Professor Reinblut entered. The older man's clothes were slightly torn up, and Harry could see some blood on them, but the professor himself looked fine.

"Sir?" Harry asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

The professor smiled, "Yes, Harry, I'm fine." he said as he sat down in the chair behind the desk.

"What happened, sir?" Harry asked curiously.

With a wave of his hand, Professor Reinblut closed the door. With his wand, he then threw up some privacy spells, the same ones that Harry usually does actually, and a few Harry was now determined to research and learn, before offering Harry the seat next to him.

"I was fighting an injustice that I once embraced as truth by many, even some people on the light side." the professor answered cryptically, "Let me tell you a story, Harry. It's about man, who almost missed his chance to acknowledge his mistake, and make amends. The story of Medwin Blaz Reinblut"

This peaked Harry's interest, and though he still had questions about the fight his professor had just come from, he was temporarily distracted by the opportunity to learn more about this mysterious man who's been teaching the students of Hogwarts since September from an illegal, if not very well written, text that he himself had penned.

"It started during the war with Grindewald actually. A much younger Medwin Reinblut," he made a comedic face as he referred to himself in the third person, "and Albus Dumbledore were working together to bring down the tyrant, Grindewald, who had been aiding the warmonger Hitler in the muggle world. Grindewald, though he hated muggles, allied himself with Hitler and aided them both financially and magically. It was only after the news of Grindewald's defeat the Hitler took his own life, but I'm getting off topic.

"Albus was the action man, much like yourself Harry, where as Medwin was more like your friend Ron. He was a brilliant strategist. It was one of his plans that ultimately gave Albus Dumbledore the opportunity to battle Grindewald. Since they knew that Grindewald never attended large-scale battles in person to protect himself, preferring to remain safe and direct his forces through magical devices, Medwin devised a plan. He had laid an attack plan with a polyjuiced Dumbledore at the lead. The actual spell used to defeat him was all Albus' work, but it was Medwin's plans that made it happen. I wont bore you with the details of the plan, the attack styles, which spies were told what and why, the location, or even why it was chosen since it doesn't really have an impact on the story. All you really need to know is that Grindewald fell for the bait, and sent out almost his entire collected forces.

"During the battle, Albus led a small team of four into the stronghold while Medwin stayed and directed the magical battle that was taking place elsewhere. They met heavy resistance in the form of Grindewald's personal bodyguards. After that fight was completed, there were only two men standing in that original group of four: Albus Dumbledore, and John Potter." The old man smiled slightly, "I thought you might recognize that name. What I'm telling you is not widely known, but is the truth none the less. When they finally got to the inner chamber of Grindewald's hideout, the location of which we had only discovered two months prior, they found Grindewald and his right hand man, Garin.

"Grindewald fell when one of his own curses was reflected back at him, the result of the spell that Albus had been working so hard on. Grindewald was much more creative then Voldemort you see. He never used the 'Avada Kedavera', it was much to quick and painless for his liking. Instead, he used a spell of his own design: 'Deflagro Viscera'.

"I've never heard of it. Why isn't that spell used anymore?" interrupted Harry.

"Well, it is rather rare so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it. This spell caused the internal organs of the target to spontaneously combust. It was a very painful way to die. At the time there was no known shield that could block it, some lessened the effects, but the victims still died eventually. The main reason you don't see it anymore, is because the person casting it has to be at least a red level Sorcerer. That's one of the things that made Grindewald so feared: his abilities with wandless and wordless magic. His wand was snapped during his last year of Hogwarts, actually, at which time he just laughed, and proceeded to kill the teacher who had done it wandlessly." Medwin told him, "Luckily, the shield created by Dumbledore can be cast with a wand, and doesn't require any more power then your regular 'protegeo'.

"Your grandfather held his own against Garin until Dumbledore had finished off Grindewald. When Garin saw that his commander and friend had been killed, he started attacking your grandfather more furiously. John was still the better dueler, and before Dumbledore could even intervene, Garin had been rendered unconscious. He later died when he attempted to escape the Aurors, but that's a different story.

"After the defeat of Grindewald, there was a great celebration. But Medwin Reinblut couldn't get the last few years out of his mind. He was convinced that if he were able to rebuild the ministry with a strong and very well defined hierarchy, with stricter laws and harsher punishments, this kind of upsurge could be avoided. He had been on the forefront of the battle with Dumbledore, almost like a right hand man, so he ran for office of minister of magic, with this as his major campaign point.

'However, the true hero of the war, Dumbledore, opposed this on moral grounds. He claimed that it was taking away too many rights and freedoms of the common people and creating the kind of environment that they had been fighting to prevent. He could not agree with Medwin that it was for the greater good, and so threw his support behind the other candidate. With the backing of the defeater of Grindewald, and his first general, John Potter, the other candidate was soon elected into office.

"After losing the election, Medwin left England. He actually started a small community of pure-blooded wizards in Hungary who liked his ideas of a hierarchical society. However, after only 25 years the community had grown out of his control, resulting in a small war in that area between his 'purists' and the local wizards. He did oppose the war, but it was too late. The ball he had put in motion was now rolling out of control, trampling all those who got in his way it, including himself.

"He was excommunicated from his own society by those who had taken it from him. Eventually they were stopped, many of them were imprisoned but those who escaped joined Voldemort due to his pureblood views and, go figure, hierarchical views for the future of wizarding kind. Seeing his extreme failure, he secluded himself, even though Voldemort was after him for his support, magical research and capabilities, and lived as a hermit in the mountains. Which mountains are not important. He remained there until an old friend looked him up and talked to him.

"His friend told him of the state of things in England, his one true home, and how it was now needing help in a bad way once again. It had not yet suffered the destruction that was once wreaked upon it by Grindewald and Hitler, but he told him that those days were coming. Albus had come to ask Medwin for his help. Medwin saw this as his chance. A chance to fight against something that he had unwittingly helped with his purist views and so accepted the proposal so that he could do what he could to dispel the illusions of the current dark lord.

"To teach people that ones lot in life is not determined at birth. To show that dark magic can be good, and not inherently evil. To try and explain that it isn't individuals like Albus Dumbledore, or Harry Potter," he said with a smirk, "that are duty bound to deliver them freedom, but themselves. That there is power in numbers, and that THEY are those 'numbers' and that that power is theirs. To do the impossible." he sighed, "but I have to try."

Then he turned his head to Harry, "You know all this for a reason my young hero. You don't know that reason yet, but I suggest you not forget the story I told you today. One day, it will come in handy again, and then after you tell it, you'll be able to say with confidence that, 'I met that man, and what I am saying is the truth. He was not a dark man, nor a murderer. He did not create evil wizards, and give them tools to succeed, but taught that these evil wizards are nothing but regular witches and wizards with illusions of grandeur. That we need not fear them, but band together to fight them. That is what his book was telling, and that was the lesson he himself took a long time to learn.'" he said with a smile.

"Thank you sir, for telling me." Harry said in all honesty.

The professor smiled, "You don't need my permission to tell that story, but I do ask that you wait until I am gone before you do."

"You're leaving? Where are you going?" asked a worried Harry. After all, he wasn't ready to take over the position of Professor just yet, he needed this man's help and guidance.

The old man chuckled, "I wont be leaving anytime soon Harry, don't worry. After this year I'll be going home. With my task finally completed, I'll be able to relax and enjoy my life. That day will come for you too Harry. Don't doubt it."

Now, however, Harry wasn't worried, but irritated, "Task completed? Enjoy your life? What about all those people here who might be dying and suffering. Wont you stay to fight? Wont you be one of the 'numbers' that you just told me about?"

The old man smiled proudly, "You DO understand, good, though I had no doubt. You misunderstand me Harry. My home is not here. I'm from elsewhere. And I have left my responsibilities there to do this last task for an old friend."

"What responsibilities can a hermit living the mountains have?" Harry asked indignantly.

The older man raised his eyebrows at Harry's sarcastic tone of voice, "Harry. You may not understand, or agree with me, but I am still your professor. Please do not address me in that fashion."

Harry looked slightly humbled, but was still obviously upset.

"Maybe 'relax and enjoy my life' aren't the words I should have used. Do you trust me Harry?" the man asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"Yes." Harry asked hesitantly.

"Then please believe me when I say that they world I left behind needs me as much as this one needs you. This is not my fight. It is yours. One day I'm sure you'll understand, but until then, I ask that you trust that I know what I'm doing, and that I wouldn't lie to you."

Harry's anger was lessened, only to be replaced by confusion, 'Does he know the prophecy? What isn't he telling me?' he thought.

_Who?_ Asked a curious Ginny.

'Sorry Gin, not now, I'm in the middle of something. I'll tell you later.' he sent back quickly.

The old professor smiled knowingly, though Harry didn't understand why, "Now, on to actual business. How have your classes been so far?"

The rest of their time together was spent talking. The professor never told his assistant about the battle, even though Harry asked him repeatedly, but instead chose to focus on Harry's experiences thus far as a teacher. They talked about questions Harry had, and things that had come up. Professor Reinblut never seemed to be surprised by anything Harry said and always had an answer for his questions, something Harry found more then a little helpful.

That night, the mansion group got together at Potter Mansion, and he told them all the story of their professor. Harry had promised himself at the beginning of the year that he wouldn't keep anything from them, and he wasn't about to start now.

Any fears that Hermione might still have had about the book they used, or the teacher who taught them, were laid to rest that night as she finally began to understand the man. Harry then told them not to say anything about it to him or anyone else until nest year, and explained that that was what Professor Reinblut had requested. They all agreed, and talked about it for a while before they all headed to bed for a peaceful night's sleep.

* * *

"I got into Healer's training! What about you?" asked Kevin Whitby, the third year Hufflepuff as they headed back to their dorm after a DA meeting the next night.

Jonathan, his roommate, answered, "I'm in offensive training. Professor Longbottom picked me himself!" The young boy had been amazed that he had caught the professor's eye during group training sessions as he was rather unsure of himself most of the time, and usually very timid. "He said he had a feeling about me, and that I reminded him a lot of himself at my age." Both boys knew that Neville had been their age only a couple of years before, but it still felt like a compliment.

Kevin was so excited about what had happened that he hadn't noticed that he had left his friend behind.

"Jon? Where are you?" he asked as he turned around in time to see a red bolt of energy barreling towards him.

Kevin managed to dodge the initial attack, but before he could draw his wand he was hit with a stunner.

It wasn't until the next day that Kevin awoke in the Hospital wing. He could feel the pain in his limbs as he tried to sit up, but was stopped in his attempt by a firm but gentle hand on his chest.

"Don't try to get up Kevin. You've taken a pretty severe beating." the male voice said. He knew he recognized it, but wasn't sure what he would be doing here.

"Headmaster? Where's Jon? He was with me." Kevin croaked out, barely managing.

"Shhhh. Remember that out here I'm just Harry." the voice said, confirming his initial guess. "And Jon is here too. He's in the bed to your right, but he hasn't woken up yet. He took a much worse beating then you did. Your attacker must have heard someone coming and left before he had finished."

'Before he had finished!' the boy thought, 'if I feel this bad, how bad did poor Jon get it?'

With this thought, Kevin turned his head and tried to open is eyes to see his friend. Unfortunately, he was only able to open one of them, as the other was swollen shut. What he saw brought tears to his eyes.

Jon looked like a mummy, wrapped in bandages from head to toe and the little bit of flesh that was exposed was bruised beyond belief.

His one good eye shut tightly after seeing the sight, as he tried not to cry in the presence of his mentor. Feeling the hand once again, this time on his shoulder as a form of comfort, his leader spoke again, "It's ok Kevin, we'll catch him. I promise you that. Here, drink this. You're body needs rest if it's gonna heal." Kevin felt the vial at his lips, and having nothing but trust for the young man administering it, he drank it without question before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

"I can't believe someone would attack a couple of third year Hufflepuffs like that. Especially from behind and without any warning." Neville said from the door. Upon hearing that one of his was in the hospital wing, he made his way up immediately.

"That was the point." said a visibly angry Harry, "Someone is trying to tell us that they know who each one of us are, and they can take us out without us knowing when or where. They're laughing at us."

Just then, Madame Pomfrey entered to the room. Before she could question them about their presence, however, Harry spoke.

"This boy woke up about two minutes ago, Madame Pomfrey. I gave him the dreamless sleep potion that you had left by his bedside table since I'm sure that's what it was there for." Harry told her while pointing at Kevin.

"Mr. Potter? What are you doing here? And Mr. Longbottom?" she questioned.

"I wasn't feeling to well, Madame Pomfrey, so I asked Harry to help me up here. When we came in, we heard this one rustling and trying to get up. Seeing his wounds, Harry stopped him, and gave him the potion instead."

"Mr. Potter? How did you know that potion was the dreamless sleep potion? It wasn't labeled." she asked sternly.

Harry smiled, "Madame Pomfrey, I have been in here often enough, and downed that disgusting potion enough times in my life to know exactly what it is with my eyes closed. Don't worry. I wouldn't have fed it to him unless I was 100 percent certain that I knew what it was. And I did, so I did." he concluded.

"Be that as it may, I would ask that in the future you do NOT feed any of my patients anything unless I have personally asked you to. Understood?" she asked in a firm voice. She knew Harry never would, and she also knew that this boy spent almost as much time in the hospital wing as she did, but if she made an exception for one student, then she'd have to do it for others, and that could quickly get out of hand."

"Yes Ma'am." Harry answered, "Are they going to be ok?"

'He's always so concerned for others, and he probably doesn't even know their names.' she thought

The old Healer smiled, "Yes they will Mister Potter. They were severely beaten, but they should make a full recovery."

Harry had already read the parchments at the foot of each bed. Due to his long and frequent stays, he was quite adept at deciphering what they said and the meanings behind her many short forms. He had learned that Jon had been hit from behind, and Kevin was hit square in the chest. The beatings had taken place after they were unconscious, as there were not signs of resistance or defensive bruises on either victim.

"Thank you for telling us Ma'am."

"Good. Now, Mr. Longbottom, what seems to be the problem?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing now Ma'am. After seeing these other two, my concern for them kinda made me forget about my stomachache. I guess it was nothing." Neville lied lamely.

Harry laughed, "It was probably just stress Nev. Don't you have a test in Potions this week?"

Neville, playing along, made a disgusted face, "Oh ya, don't remind me." he said as he grabbed his belly in feign anxiety.

Madame Pomfrey smiled, this was not uncommon, "Here you go Mister Longbottom." she said as she handed him a potion from the cabinet. "It's a weak calming draft. It should get rid of the queasiness."

"Thank you Ma'am." he said taking the potion and casting a glare at the laughing Harry as they left the room.

Once outside the infirmary, Neville turned to Harry, "Thanks for that mate, I was drawing a blank."

"It's all right. But next time, we should probably think of an excuse _before_ we go up there. Though I hope there isn't a next time.

"Me neither mate. Me neither." Neville agreed as they headed towards the DA rooms to tell their friends.

* * *

The next day, as Harry and the male contingent of the Mansion group, which now officially included Blaise, were sitting around the DA common room and chatting. They were discussing how Kevin and Jon's attackers were found, but had been two DA members who had been under the Imperious Curse.

"I don't have any doubt that it was the Imperious, I know that neither Own nor Robert would have attacked their roommates like that. They all worked well together, and that's why I was splitting the group up for individual training. I was gonna put them together as a unit." Harry stated.

"I agree with you, mate." voiced Ron, "There's no way they'd have done that on their own."

"So there's someone walking around Hogwarts casting unforgivables and not getting caught? Didn't Dumbledore tell you he had fixed that problem?" asked Neville in a frustrated tone.

"Ya, he did. They must have some way to disable the wards." Harry said.

With a pensive look, Blaise interjected, "Unless they're just using a place that isn't covered by them in the first place."

"You mean..." Harry started, but couldn't find the strength to finish.

"It's obviously someone from our group, and they've either found a way to avoid detection in the Castle, which is unlikely, but ultimately possible, or they're doing it in YOUR Room of Requirement." Blaise stated.

"But Dumbledore told me that the wards of the building that the mansion is erected in also apply to the mansion." Harry said, with hope that Blaise was wrong.

"The protective ones, yes, as any attacker would have to get through the wards of that building to get to the mansion. But any interior alarms, or scrying wards would have to be linked to the structure itself: walls, floors, ceiling, etc., to be effective. Since that room doesn't exist at all in Hogwarts, meaning it's walls are not linked to Hogwarts' walls, it wouldn't show up. The room of requirement here has a door, and a room in the building, and is a part of the building, so the sensors would work there, but yours doesn't. That's the only other thing I can of, unless the attacker is leading them off of Hogwarts property, cursing them there, and bringing them back."

Harry sighed in defeat, "This means we have to change the lesson plans for the next few get-togethers, or have supplementary ones. They all need to be able to at least recognize the Imperious, and as many as possible need to be able to throw it off. I'll teach it myself." Harry stated, leaving no room for argument.

It was then that two sixth Ravenclaws, Kevin Entwhistle and Stephen Cornfoot, entered the room looking rather frantic, before the made their way directly to Harry and his group.

"Harry? Can we speak with you guys privately for a moment." asked Stephen, "It's very important."

"Of course. Lets go into the planning room."

Once inside, Harry threw up a bunch of anti scrying, silence and protection wards, and then turned to the two Ravenclaws, "What can we do for you?"

"We saw a wand in Terry's trunk. We know he never leaves the room without his, so this must be a second one. Since it's illegal to own two wands, we thought we should tell you. We doubt that this one was tested when the examiners came around as it was pretty well hidden." Kevin explained.

Harry seriously doubted their intentions as they just admitted to rooting through their roommate's trunk without his knowledge, and so stated as much. "I can't help but wonder as to why I should trust that statement from you guys. You just admitted to snooping through your roommates things without telling him. Why should I believe you? or better yet, while should I believe that it wasn't either of you who put it there to frame him?"

They both had looks of worry and guilt on their face. Stephen was the one who explained, "We know that it looks bad, and I admit that we weren't doing it out of the goodness or our hearts. The truth is that we were looking for copies of Terry's homework because he told us he had finished early. He refused to let us look at it, so we decided to wait until he left and get it ourselves."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Ravenclaws cheating? This story gets better and better!"

"It's not what it looks like! We weren't going to cheat. We've expected him of cheating for years now, and this was the first time we could prove it. He never seems to do any work, and yet always has things finished on time and gets good marks. It's just not possible!" Kevin retorted.

Harry believed them. If nothing else, His kneazle senses weren't screaming, and he knew that both boys were trustworthy.

"I don't want this to happen again, but as it stands you were right to come to us with this information. Privacy is a rare commodity at Hogwarts, especially when you share a room with 4 or 5 other guys. In the future, don't invade what little privacy someone does have here, ok?" he told them.

"Yes Sir. Thank you sir." They both answered, not quite in unison, but close.

Harry dropped the spells as the two left, then closed the doors and raised them again.

"What do you guys think?" Harry asked the other three without turning around.

"We have to check it out. I don't want to think that it's Terry, he's on my team for Merlin's sake, but if it is him..." Ron trailed off. He appeared to be the most shaken up by the prospect as he had the closest working relationship with the boy in question.

Surprisingly enough, it was Blaise who comforted the obviously distraught redhead, "Don't blame yourself Ron. If it is him, I haven't noticed either, and it's supposed to be my department to spot spies. I've been looking for clues and hints from anyone since Christmas now. And I didn't seen it either."

"He's right Ron. Don't beat yourself up over it. There's no way you could have known." Neville tried to assure him, though Ron wasn't looking very convinced.

"I'm not gonna lie to you Ron. I've suspected Terry from the get go because of his attitude last year. He appeared to have taken a full 180 this year and I was suspicious. But not even I saw this coming. If it is him, he's one hell of an actor." Harry admitted.

The four of them then decide to do it that night during dinner. They weren't sure whether or not to tell Hermione about their plan as they were sure that their actions weren't exactly 'legal': Illegal search, illegal questioning, and possibly illegal use of Veritaserum, which the ministry punished with a maximum of 5 years in Azkaban, were all in the cards for tonight's operation. Eventually, however, they decided that not telling her might come at a cost far higher then 5 years in Azkaban: the wrath of Hermione.

Taking out his map, Harry located Hermione and Ginny, the two remaining department heads. Since Ginny was close to Hermione's location, he sent her a quick mental note to get Hermione and join them in the planning room. He then folded up the map, placed it in his pocket, and told the other guys that he'd be right back, as he was going to get them.

Harry left the room, and waited for them at the entrance he knew Ginny would use so as not to arouse anyone's suspicions.

"Oh good, Ginny found you." Harry said, "We have a problem, and need to have an emergency executive meeting. The others are already there, come on."

Once inside the room, Harry told the two girls all that they knew, and laid out the plan. Both girls agreed, surprisingly, without even asked to change any aspects of it.

Once everyone knew their roles, they left the room and put their plan into action.

* * *

**AN:** Deflagro: Destroyed by fire  
Viscera: Internal organs

Hello all, and a very Happy New Year. I would like to apologize, yet again, for the tardiness of this posting, though I actually do have a valid excuse this time.

I got engaged. :)

This, in and of itself, would not be such a time consumer, however, we have set the wedding date for this May, and so we are rather busy with organizing and booking and invitations, and yadda yadda. I think my next fic will be about Harry while he prepares to marry Ginny and all the things that need doing, and all the things that could go wrong, and how if they can go wrong, they usually do. :P

Anyways, thank you for your patience, and I pray you keep checking. I know I broke the 'three week max' rule, and for that I ask your forgiveness. I will still be trying to meet that in the future, and with school having started up again, I should be settling into a routine, and should help...should...

A BIG thank you to all my reviewers. I love getting them, and they have been a constant encouragement to me as I write, and that has been helping me to get the postings up sooner. So thank you.

Farfumsane.


	46. Loyalty

**Disclaimer: **I have a feeling that if I actually owned this stuff, I wouldn't be posting it one chapter at a time, for free, on a public access website...but so that there is no confusion, I shall just state the blatantly obvious. I do not own this or any aspect of Harry Potter, his world, or the things found in it.

**Chap 45: **Loyalty

After seeing Terry get up and leave the Great Hall near the end of dinner, Blaise gave Harry the nod from his seat at the Slytherin table before getting up and heading for the door. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville were next, followed a little later by Ginny after she excused herself from her boyfriend telling him that she had DA business to attend to.

Harry took out the Marauder's map on the way to Ravenclaw tower to see who was in the room with Terry. When he saw that Terry was alone, and in accordance with the plan, Harry gave the signal, and many different things happened.

Neville grinned and became invisible, Hermione smiled too and became translucent like a ghost before disappearing completely and Harry smiled, threw his hood up and also faded from view. The other three grumbled and cast a disillusionment charm on themselves.

"Stupid hereditary abilities." muttered Ron.

_FLASHBACK_

"Wow!" exclaimed Neville, "Chameleon skin! That's awesome."

"What?" asked Demeter.

"That means that he can blend in with any surrounding, clothes and all, and can't be detected by detect invisibility charms and the like, but the down side is that you can still make out his shape if you know he's there, much the lizard that the ability is named after." Hermione dictated.

"What else do you have Nev?" asked Harry who had just arrived with Blaise.

"Teleporter, Green-thumb, breather-of-all, and get this, Potion master! Eat THAT Snape!" Neville said with conviction and a pleased grin on his face, "But some of the potions we still need to be brewed to check for others, so we'll have to re-test this summer."

Ron, who hadn't been there for the first part of Neville's testing, said, "Teleporter! Sweet! You can slip through wards and everything. Not to mention you don't need a license, and you can carry ten times more then someone apparating. That's goona be dead helpful around school." Hermione looked at her boyfriend with an apprasing eye. This wasn't the first time he had impressed her with his knowledge this year, but everytime it happened, she was still taken aback.

Harry, though impressed with Neville's new abilities, was confused.

"Horass?" asked Harry, "Why so long?" he asked the portrait in charge of his friends' testing.

"One of the potions needs to be brewed during the first month of spring and then must sit 'til the first day of summer. Another takes a full four months to brew. And some of the detection spells need to be cast at specific times too."

"Why haven't I been tested for those?" Harry asked.

"You will be. But we didn't see the point to have you take such complex potions and expensive ingredients, if you hadn't even developed the ability yet. It would be a waste. And as for the spells that needed specific times, we had to wait for those anyways since the two spells in questions need to be cast in the late spring and early summer. Now that you've matured, we can run the full gamut of tests on you this spring and summer, and we'll know for sure that we wont miss any of them. Right now we're just running the easy ones. It wont make much difference if you know about them now, or 5 months from now. You're still in school after all and you should be focusing on that. This summer we'll really get busy." Horass told them.

"In the future, I would like to be told when decisions like this are made." Harry told him.

"My apologies Harry. We should have, but we didn't think it important. Had we told you, it would have weighed on your mind. We tested you for what we thought most important at the time, and we were going to bring this up with over Christmas, but you were otherwise occupied." the portrait attempted to explain.

Harry believed him, and realized that it was actually his fault he didn't know do to his behaviour over the holiday, so he nodded in understanding.

Neville wasn't the only interesting discovery that day. It appeared that appearance was the only thing the triplets shared.

They discovered that due to their triplet bond, they shared many of their gifts. All three of them, Charms Masters, Transfiguration Masters and also, much to their shock, possessed a strong gift in Ethereal Form. This last ability aloud the person possessing it to become, in all intents and purposes, a ghost. They had all the abilities of a ghost, including the ability to become completely invisible, and also the drawbacks. In that form, for example, they couldn't touch anything, and as Myrtle had told them once, they discovered how weird it felt to have someone walk right through them.

And again, certain gifts couldn't be tested for, such as Beast Speaking, Healing Touch and others, so they might even share more. But individually, they also had gifts that the others didn't. Hermione was an Enchantress, able to permanently enchant items, which explained why the DA coins still worked. Athena had Heightened Magical Reflexes and was also a Breather-of-all, where Demeter was a Green-Thumb and a Potion Master, much to Neville's pleasure. The fact that the other two had two more gifts, lead them all to believe that Hermione had another one coming too, as it would be odd for one sister to have more gifts then another.

Blaise had discovered that he was both a medium level Occlumency Master, low level Legilimency Master and also an animagus, though he wouldn't share what his form was just yet.

"Well," started Harry after getting the run down on the known gifts of his friends, "We should probably get to practicing those gifts if you ever wanna actually be able to use them for something useful."

_END FLASHBACK_

If anyone had been watching the Tower's entrances at that time, they might have seen the door open on it's own as six slight shimmers in the air, as six 'disillusioned' teenagers entered, walked past.

'Sometimes, I really liked being the heir of Gryffindor,' Harry thought as he silently thanked Hogwarts for opening the door for him.

_I bet. You haven't used this to get into OTHER rooms you shouldn't be in have you Harry? Like, Oh I don't know, the girl's change room? _Ginny voice asked teasingly in him mind.

It was a good thing Harry was still invisible. Had his friends been able to see him, he would have had a hard time explaining why his face suddenly became redder then the Gryffindor lounge. It wasn't because he HAD done it, it was because he _had_ thought about doing it, but his morals always talked him out of it.

'Absolutely not' Harry thought back, 'Though now that you've given me the idea...I'm sure my invisibility cloak could be put to a _good_ use for a change...' he added, not willing to let her get the last laugh.

_You wouldn't dare!_ She thought, _Ok, wrong choice of words. How bout this: If I ever, EVER hear of you doing that, you are in big, BIG trouble Myth!_

Harry laughed mentally, 'No worries there Pix. You know I wouldn't do that. It's just...wrong.' he responded honestly.

_Good. And I know you wouldn't, but if you ever did..._ She didn't bother finishing her statement as no spoken threat could ever worry Harry more then his own imagination of what she might do.

'Understood.' Harry cringed mentally, 'But we should really be focusing on the task at hand.'

Ron and Neville stayed back in the common room in order to make sure that Terry, who was reading in the corner, didn't leave before they could confront him.

When they finally got to the room, Blaise and Ginny took up a defensive position outside the room, before Harry and Hermione opened said door, and slipped in.

Harry had asked the other two guys who brought Terry to his attention which trunk was his in the room, so with their help he was able to go straight over to Terry's trunk and search for the wand.

The first thing that Hermione though was suspicious, was that Terry's trunk didn't have any protective spells on it at all. If he were really hiding an illegal wand in there, he would have at least put on a spell or two to insure it remained a secret. After she found the wand, a second thing that struck her as odd was that the wand, though buried at the bottom, wasn't very well hidden. You'd think that he would have slipped it in a fake compartment, or put is someplace else.

A quick 'priori incantatem' revealed that the last spell cast by the wand was indeed an 'imperio'. Going back a couple more spells, they found another 'imperio' and even a 'crucio'. These revelations were doing nothing to calm Harry. Not only had Terry forced others to do his dirty work for him, but he had also tortured someone. Harry knew full well the horrors of the Cruciatus Curse, and couldn't believe that Terry had done that to another person.

Harry trying very hard to keep his mind focused, and his emotions calm as he walked back to the door and told Blaise to go get Terry.

Hermione rendered herself invisible and moved over to the inside of the door, while a still disillusioned Ginny moved to her new post at the foot of the stairs leading up to the rooms, but with a good view of the common room.

Soon, the boys entered the room with a bound, and very worried looking, Terry. Before he addressed the prisoner, Harry magically closed the door, sealed it, and put up various anti-scrying and spying wards.

"You have a lot of explaining to do Terry. The only reason I'm actually giving you a chance, is that I don't want to believe that you did this." Harry told the frightened, but visibly confused boy. "I really only have one question: What do you know about this wand?" he asked as he held the wand he had confiscated from Terry's trunk up in front of him.

Harry motioned to the other guys to remove the silencing charm.

"I've never seen that wand before in my life! I swear to Merlin!" Terry exclaimed in a panic upon seeing the complete lack of emotion in Harry's eyes, "I'll do anything you say to prove, but it's not mine. I swear it's not mine."

"We found it in your trunk Terry. I know we shouldn't go through your things, but someone told us they saw it in there, and after testing it, and finding two Imperious and one Cruciatus Curse on it, the evidence is really stacked against you." Harry told him honestly.

"You're right. If I saw all this I'd think I was guilty too," he started, "But I swear on Rowena Ravenclaw herself that I didn't do it. I've never seen that thing in my life and have no idea how it got there." Terry confesses.

"Would you agree to testify under Veritaserum?" asked Blaise.

"Yes, definitely." Terry agrees.

Harry nodded to Neville who produced a small vial. Veritaserum was definitely a controlled substance, and even illegal to use without the proper authorization, but this was important, and they needed to know without a doubt. What surprised Harry most was the fact that they had been able to get Hermione to agree to its use. Her only stipulation was that Terry agreed, if not, they would have had to turn him over to Dumbledore. Luckily, he agreed.

After having been administered the proper dossage, Terry's eyes glazed over slightly, at which point Blaise took over.

"What is your name?" started Blaise.

"Terrance Edward Boot."

"Do you like muggle musicals?" questioned the Slytherin.

"Yes." the boy answered.

"He's definitely under," muttered Neville with a grimace, "No guy in their right mind would admit to that willingly."

Then Blaise got down to the heart of the matter, "Have you ever seen this wand before Harry showed it to you?"

"No."

"Do you have any idea how it might have gotten in your trunk?"

"No."

"Do you know who could have done it?"

"Anyone."

"Explain."

"I don't lock my trunk since I don't have any valuables in it. Anyone with access to Ravenclaw tower could have put it in."

"That about does it Harry. Anything you want to add?"

Harry nodded and approached Terry, "Do you fight for the light side or the dark side?" To Harry, this seemed like a good time to test loyalties. He was having a hard time knowing who to trust, and he'd always had his doubts about Terry. This way, he'd know for sure.

"Neither."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Who do you fight for then?"

"Harry Potter."

Harry looked like he had been slapped, but he did manage to tell Blaise he was done before he retreated into himself to think about what Terry had just told him.

After the anti-serum was administered, Harry addressed him guiltily, "We're sorry Terry. We couldn't take the chance. All we know is that someone is doing this, and that someone is in the DA. When we heard you had a spare wand in your trunk that no one had ever seen before, we got suspicious. I have to apologize to. I've suspected you for a long time, ever since last year actually since you didn't seem to like me much. You didn't deserve that kind of doubt."

Terry smiled a bit embarrassedly, "I understand Harry. I would have done the same thing in your position. I want to thank you guys though. I don't know how you controlled yourselves when you had that much evidence against me. I probably would have done something rather nasty to someone I thought was a spy had I been in your robes." Terry told them with a smile, "And about what I said...I would have admitted to all of that without Veritaserum to. All of it." he said, making direct eye contact with Harry.

"Even about the Muggle musicals?" teased a sarcastic Neville.

"Well...probably not about them, no." muttered an embarrassed Terry. Though thoroughly humiliated, Terry was still visibly relieved that they were able to joke about it, and obviously had no hard feelings.

Harry still didn't know what to say about Terry's admission, so he nodded in understanding. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that HE commanded the loyalty of _anyone,_ let alone one of Hogwarts' best and brightest.

_You shouldn't be so surprised, Harry. _ Ginny sent him form the other side of the door. _He's not the only one._

Harry was about to ask her to elaborate on what she meant, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"What should I do now?" asked Terry, after having been freed from the body bind.

"You should take this wand and go to the Headmaster with it. Tell him you found it in your trunk, and you have no idea where it came from. Whoever put it there will have a plan, and you should really do something about it before that plan goes into motion." Harry told him.

Before Terry could even agree, Ginny, who had been monitoring the conversation mentally interjected, _Too late for that, we have company. Flitwick, Dumbledore and Snape just entered the common room, you guys have 2 minutes to get out of there._

Harry made an effort to pretend to look at his watch as he muttered a curse before addressing the rest of the group, "Ok, we have to get out of here. Escape plan one. NOW. Move!"

Harry had told them that he had given Ginny a device that would make the back of his watch heat up to give them the order to get out. Neither of them wanted the others to know of Ginny's power. That would just raise too many questions.

Without anything else said, Neville took Ron's hand, and as soon as he felt Hermione's hand on his back, he teleported the three of them to the DA strategy room. Harry quickly dropped the spells on the door, then grabbed Terry and the wand, before flashing them to the Gargoyle at the foot of Dumbledore's stairway.

"What the hell did you just do?" asked a really confused Terry.

"I trust you Terry, really I do, but some things I just can't tell you. This is one of them. I'm sorry." Harry told him.

Terry nodded in understanding, "Now what?"

Harry smiled, "Tell the gargoyle that you have to see Dumbledore, and that it's urgent. It will immediately send a message to the Headmaster telling him that you are here. That should give your story an extra boost of believability. Just tell him what you told us. You hadn't seen this wand before today, you don't lock your stuff, and anyone who could get into Ravenclaw Tower could have put it into your trunk. After finding it, priori incantatem was cast on it just to see, and it was found to have cast two 'imperios' and a 'crucio', in that order, so you came directly to see him. That should be enough."

"What if he doesn't believe me?" Terry asked, looking for a 'plan b'.

"Then, and only then, you can suggest Veritaserum and answer his questions. I would rather he not find out about the DA's involvement in this, but if it happens, it happens. I'm not gonna let you take the fall to protect us." Harry told him before motioning to the Gargoyle. Harry knew that Dumbledore would proabably use Legilimency on Terry to discern whether or not he was telling the truth, at which point he would know of Harry's involvement, but he could always hope it didn't happen.

Terry did as he had been instructed, after which Harry gave him one last nod and disappeared in a small burst of flames.

"Cool!" said Terry, to no one in particular.

* * *

That Sunday in DA, Harry addressed the whole group.

"I'm sure that all of you have now heard of the events that took place last week. How two of our number were attacked, and then after that attack, those two students were used to attack two others." Harry told them.

The students had heard of the main attack, but many of them didn't know the details behind it.

"For those of you who don't know what happened. Two of our members had been placed under the Imperious Curse, and made to attack two other students." their headmaster explained. "They were not acting under their own volition, nor did they have any control over their actions. You will not hold this against them, nor will you treat them any differently. They are your brothers in the DA, and you should be supportive of them. They have enough unnecessary guilt of their own without anyone adding to it."

He paused slightly to let his words sink in before he continued, "Part of the reason our enemy got away with this is that we, as the staff and directors of this group, had not yet instructed you on the unforgivables and that is no fault of your own. Today, we are going to be giving you a brief introduction to these curses, and then we will go into more depth with one of them."

Harry then went into a detailed explanation of both the Cruciatus and then the Killing Curse, before going into greater detail with the Imperious Curse.

"Now, what you need to know is that the Imperious Curse CAN be overcome. YOU can beat it. The first step to beating it, is to recognize when you are under it. Second, you need to listen to the little voice at the back of your mind, and not the commanding one at the forefront." Harry then explained the floating feeling, the sensation of warmth and then he called on the other professors who had felt it under the tutelage of the fake professor Moody, to give their own impressions of what it had been liked under the spell.

Harry had been fighting an internal battle all day. In order for these kids to learn to beat the curse, they'd have to be placed under it. Who would do it?

He didn't want to ask any of the other professors in the DA, as if word ever came out, they could be charged and face Azkaban, but he also knew that one of them, one of his core group, was probably the one to have cast it on two of his members in the first place and was VERY deserving of that hole.

In the end, Harry had decided to cast it himself. It would take a while, but this way he would know it was being done right, and they couldn't point the finger at anyone but him.

After the large group presentation, he broke them off into their intensive training groups, but held the original DA back for a second.

"I'm going to be going form group to group cast the Imperious on each person individually and trying to coach them on how to break it. This will not be optional. I'm going to start with each of you. I just wanted to warn you about it first. One more thing I need to tell you is that I have a feeling that one of you is the mole." Harry knew it was a gamble to say that, and that he was inviting mutiny to admit it to all of them, "And as much as I'd love to place each and every one of you under Veritaserum to prove me wrong, I don't want to violate your privacy in that way if you're not. So what we have decided to do, is that many of the DA decisions, and some more secret plans, will be voted on and debated by the Heads only.

"If there are any questions that pertain to a specific field, that head will talk to his or her group about it first to get their consensus before the vote, but the results of the vote, and ultimately the goals and plans of the DA, will only be known by us." he concluded before smiling a little, "Thank you all for letting me say that without interruptions. If you do have any questions, we'll have a meeting right after we finish tonight to discuss. Now go to your groups." he dismissed.

There was some grumbling amongst the Original DA members, but the over all feeling was that of understanding, if not disappointment.

As he had told them, Harry went from group to group and casted the curse on each person individually. Sometimes he did it more then once to give them a feel of what it was like. He would then discuss it with the group, they'd explain how they felt while under it, and talk about ways of trying to notice and beat it sooner.

He didn't get through all of them that night, only having made it through about half the group, but those he had worked with (mostly offense, medical and espionage that night) had a much more thorough understanding of the curse, and a few of them even showed signs of struggling with it.

Before dismissing them for the night, Harry again addressed the whole group. He explained to each group that they would continue practicing next time, but not to EVER cast that spell on their own, nor to get a friend to cast it on them. Harry was the only one who would cast it so if anyone found out, only he would have to pay the price.

"This doesn't mean you can't practice." he said, much tot he surprised of most students present, "You can think for yourselves, you can make your own decisions, and you can question authority in your everyday life. I'm not telling you to be disrespectful, not at all, but you should always take things at face value. A strong mind is harder to break.

"Now that being said, there is one time that you must follow orders without question as it may save lives. In a battle situation, you are to obey your superiors unless you really feel that it's something that you shouldn't do. I know that sounds confusing, 'he's telling us to listen, but at the same time don't! What are we supposed to do?' All I can say is that you'll know what I mean when it happens. You shouldn't be afraid to listen to the advice of another, and you shouldn't be afraid to follow someone's order, just always remember that you are an individual and should always use you're own judgment too."

After Harry dismissed the large group, the original DA members stayed back as asked, and they had their own meeting.

"For those of you who don't know, the wand used to curse the two DA members was found." he told them, getting scattered mutters as response. "Someone, we assume the perpetrator, had hid it in Terry's trunk." He motioned over to Terry, who frowned.

Again, people started grumbling, and some of them were even shooting Terry some negative looks.

"THAT will stop RIGHT now!" Harry yelled, "Terry was found innocent by all of the heads of houses here in the DA as well as Dumbledore and the Hogwarts faculty. Dumbledore didn't even need to use Veritaserum, or other means of insuring truth, to know that Terry was being honest. And we, the other heads and I, have undeniable proof of not only his innocence, but also his loyalty. So if any of you have a problem with him, you have a problem with me. Am I understood?" he threatened.

Those had been grumbling had the good sense to look guilty and even some of those who hadn't reacted initially muttered apologies.

"Alright, now that that's been cleared up, we have to address the issues I mentioned earlier. Are there any questions about what I told you before?" he asked.

"What's the point of us being 'professors' and 'teacher's assistants' if we don't know more of what's going on then the rest of this little school?" asked Zacharias Smith.

Some people scolded him for the tone of his question, but Harry stopped them, "Don't give him a hard time. It's a legitimate question. The reason I asked is because I really want to know what you guys all think. Now Zach, to answer your question, we didn't say that you wouldn't know more then what's going on then the rest of the group. You will, especially stuff that will be directly related to your subject, be informed of things that other members from the other groups wont know. Some things you just don't need to know, and some things you just can't know if we want to be able to act swiftly."

Seeing the confusion on his, and other peoples' faces, Harry elaborated, "With the whole Terry incident, for example. If we would've had a group meeting, excluding him, to decide on what to do it would have been to late. By the time we got there, Dumbledore had already been informed and was on his way. In order to act quickly, we made a plan and executed it as soon as possible without informing any of you. We can tell you now without problem after the fact, but we still wont be telling the others about it at all."

He waited a bit to let his words sink in, before he continued, "Does that answer your question Zach?"

Zacharias nodded. He didn't like it, but he understood.

"Good. Are there any other questions?" Harry asked.

"What was the point of the sign up sheet this time if it obviously didn't do anything." asked a confused Anthony Goldstein.

"Again, good question. All I can tell you is that the sign up sheet was NOT a fake, and it DOES work. We still don't know how the spy got around it, but we're looking into it. I really don't suggest any of you test whether or not it is still active by breaking it. I can assure you that the outcome will not be pleasant." Harry answered to the best of his ability.

"Anything else?" Harry asked again. When he saw that no one was going to speak up, he continued, "Ok then. You're dismissed."

A couple of the members scurried out of the room quickly, but most lingered. A few talked to Harry privately and insured him of their loyalty, and told him that they would not object to answering questions under Veritaserum to prove it. He agreed grudgingly to allow some of them to do so, as this was really his best way of knowing who was with him and who was against him, but he also told them that this was to remain a secret, and not to tell even the other members of the core group that they had done this. He didn't want to cause a division between the serum takers, and those who cherished their privacy too much to do that.

Those who volunteered for testing stayed behind, and took the serum that night. In total, 17 members were tested with Veritaserum including each of the Heads of house who went first to show the safety of the potion and questioning. The 17 were: Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Demeter, Athena, Blaise, Terry (who had already been tested), Padma Patil, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Sally-Ann Perks, Seamus, Colin and Denis Creevey, Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe: all of whom were found to be loyal.

To test Ginny's earlier statement, the question of who they supported was also asked, and much to Harry's surprise and horror, all of them but Hannah, Padma, Cho and Mareitta, said that they were light, but fought for Harry. Under the truth serum's influence, the other 13 had admitted they would not fight under anyone else in this war, not the ministry or Dumbledore, only Harry.

This was something Harry didn't want. He didn't see himself as a leader or hero, but he knew the role he needed to fulfill in this war, and so welcomed their support. Apart from that, he couldn't think of anything else to say. He was speechless.

When your friends, your best friends, ex-girlfriends and the love of your life, who you were waiting for, all tell you that they would follow you anywhere, what could one say?

Luckily, he didn't have to say anything as they all started talking amongst themselves about various things.

_Told you so._ Ginny sent him with a smile. Then with a small nod, she turned and left the room.

* * *

"He did WHAT!" asked a disbelieving Draco later that night in a secluded, and very heavily warded corridor.

"He was teaching them how to throw off the Imperious. To achieve that, he was casting it repeatedly on the students to help them recognize it so that they could eventually overcome it. He then warned us not to use it on our own as it is illegal, and he didn't want any of us getting in trouble for casting it." the spy explained.

"You're telling me that the golden boy has been casting an unforgiveable? Repeatedly? All evening long?" the Slytherin prodded. After hiding all emotion from his face, the pale boy thought about this for a minute.

This was both good and bad. He would definitely report it, but what his lord would do with it he wasn't sure. It was good for them, because if they could get proof, they could use the current legal system against Potter, and have him jailed. This would make him much easier to find, and as such, much easier to kill. But on the other hand, he had been casting it all night...successfully. This also meant that he was very powerful, and he wasn't sure if Voldemort wanted that kind of information to get out.

"I will relay this information that think it 'important' to our lord. If he deems it significant, he will act on it. But I wouldn't hold my breathe in thinking it will do anything to curry favour with him." the young Death Eater drawled with an impression of boredom.

"What? This is big!" the spy practically shouted, completely forgetting his place.

"CRUCIO!" Draco shouted. He hated it when an underling thought they knew better the he did. Even if he had been downplaying the importance of the information, a _smart_ spy would have held is tongue and waited for a later opportunity to get even. But this slumped mass of human waste before him wasn't a smart spy.

"Get out of here you pathetic excuse for a wizard." The blond told the rat that was lying on the ground in front of him as he kicked him in the side.

* * *

The next evening at dinner, Ginny was getting more then a little bit frustrated with her boyfriend's whining.

"Come on, Gin, why can't you tell me?" asked Justin again, before he continued with a hurt expression. "We've been dating for how long? Don't you trust me?"

Ginny just sat there and looked at him funny. She really couldn't believe he had just played the 'if you really loved me' card, "The way I feel about you has absolutely nothing to do with it. Firstly, I have responsibilities to the DA. And secondly, I'm not privy to what you need to know, so I'm in no position to tell you anything. If you want to know something, go to your head of house. It's their job to keep their teamed informed of what they should know.

Justin sighed, "I just don't want a watered down version. I thought you'd be able to fill me in so I don't feel out of the loop."

"Sorry, babe. Not gonna happen." she smiled playfully, in attempts to get him out of his now sullen mood.

"Can you tell me what you guys talked about after we left that night then? I know there were more then just the Heads of house there, so you can tell me about that, right?" he asked.

"All you had to do was stay, but you left to do homework right way. That's not my fault. Had you stayed, you would have been in the now, but since you didn't, you aren't. Sorry."

"That's ok. I understand." he said with a small smile, "I can't stick around now either, actually, I have some homework to get done tonight. See you at breakfast?" he asked with genuine affection in his eyes.

Ginny nodded in response and gave him a small kiss. As she watched him leave, she continued the ongoing battle within her of whether or not she made the right decision to stay with Justin.

After giving her head a shake, she decided that this wasn't something she wanted to think about right now, and made her way up to her dorm. She might as well head over to Potter Mansion early tonight and see what Harry was up to.

* * *

Myth and Pixie both agreed that the Slytherin prank was going to be their favorite, though there was a bit of a disagreement at the beginning. They both had a prank that they wanted to pull on that house, but only one could be done by the Marauders this year. They were trying to promote house unity, and if they attacked one house more then others, it would really defeat the purpose.

Neither one wanted to tell the other their plan, but neither wanted to let the other do theirs, so they decided that they should each write their idea on a slip of paper, put it in a hat, and the one they drew was the one they did.

Being the gentleman he was, he let Ginny draw the prank from the hat.

"HA!" she exclaimed, "I win."

Harry sighed, "A deal's a deal. There's always next year. So, what's the plan Pix?"

"Ok, here's what we're going to do..." As pixie explained her plan, Harry's face screwed itself up into one of confusing, disbelief.

Eventually he cut her off, "wait a sec, lemme see that." he said, before he took the slip of paper from her hand, and read it. After he read it, he started to laugh.

"I really hope that you're laughing at my prank, Myth, and not at me." she mockingly warned.

"Take a look at the other slip in the hat, Gin." Harry told her.

Not seeing what he was getting at, she reached in and pulled out Harry's slip of paper. After reading it, she too smirked, "So what you're telling me, is that we spent the last hour arguing about which prank we were going to do, only to find out that we each had the same idea?"

"You know what they say, 'Great minds think a like'." Harry told her.

"Too true, my good Myth, too true." the redhead told him with a laugh.

"Shall we get to work then, Miss Pixie?" he asked, as he handed her back her slip of paper.

"Yes. Let's."

* * *

The Slytherin table was empty. Everyone who was in the Great Hall knew what this meant by now: Pranked!

"Oooo...I can't wait to see what you guys did to the snakes!" Ron said as he rubbed his hands in anticipation.

"Ronald! You're a prefect! You shouldn't be encouraging them." Hermione chastised.

"I have no idea what you're talking about guys." Harry told them with a knowing grin.

"Sure you don't...Myth." Neville responded with a smirk.

'Oh no, Pix, I think they've figured out who we are!' Harry sent her in mock shock and concern.

_Oh no, whatever shall we do?_ She replied in a totally unconcerned monotone.

'I've been wondering, should we let a few more of them in?' asked Harry mentally.

Ginny, who was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Justin, thought for a second before answering, _hould we change the entrance requirements? I mean, if we only accept animagi, then we'll only be able to let my brother and Blaise in._

'Good point. What do you think we should do?' he replied.

_Why don't we just say that anyone who wants to join must be able to hide their true appearance without the use of a wand?_ She suggested.

Harry thought about it, and replied, 'why don't we just say: Anyone who a current member wants in the group, after completing the already existing initial prank requirement, may join with a vote of the majority of current members.'

_Sounds good to me. We should really write all this down you know._ She said.

'Another good point my dear Pixie. I shall add it to the Marauder's handbook as an amendment to the requirements later on this evening.' he assured her. 'We should sit down sometime and figure out names for each of them too.'

_Sounds good to me. _She replied.

"Harry? What are you doing?" asked Athena when she noticed that Harry wasn't paying much attention to the world around him.

"What? Oh. Nothing. Just thinking about the prank that's coming." he responded quickly.

_Hermione's POV _

Hermione, who had taken note of Harry's lack of focus prior to Athena's question, doubted Harry's answer. She knew her friend well enough by now that she could tell when he was lying, and this was one of those times. She decided to file this away with all the other little things that she had noticed about his behaviour this year. There was a picture coming together, slowly, but there was definitely something there, and she was going to figure it out if it was the last thing she did.

_Don't think too hard there Hermione. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself._ The taunting female voice told her.

Hermione paused for a bit, then the proverbial light bulb lit up above her head. 'He was talking to you, wasn't he!' she accused the mental invader. When she didn't receive a reply from the mysterious telepath, she assumed that meant she had been right.

Hermione had figured out how this person had been speaking to her a couple of months ago when she was reading up on various hereditary gifts. The telepathic gift, which was just as uncommon as Parseltongue. It was also rumoured to be one of the gifts past along the Hufflepuff line, but that was just speculation. Speculation or not, however, it was as good a place as any to start looking for the mystery girl.

Glancing up at the Hufflepuff table, she started going from face to face. She knew that the voice addressed her by her first name, so she assumed it had to be someone at least a little close to her age, so that cancelled anyone under fifth year.

Susan Bones was talking animatedly with Hannah Abbot. A couple of the Seventh year girls were staring longingly into their boyfriend's eyes. Megan Jones, another 6th year Hufflepuff, had her head buried in a book, but the look of determination on her face contradicted the playful tone of the voice she had just heard. When she got to the face of Ginny Weasley, who was sitting next to her Hufflepuff boyfriend, she saw the smaller girl grinning. Following the girl's eyes, she saw that her attention wasn't on her boyfriend at all, her attention was focused on the person two people down from Hermione, Harry Potter. Then, the most suspiscious thing of them all happened, Ginny laughed out loud all of sudden for no apparent reason, which earned her a questionning look from Justin.

_Harry's POV_

'What do you mean she knows I was talking to you?' Harry asked.

_When I teased her about thinking too much about your blank look, she accused me of being the reason you were distracted. But she doesn't know it's me._ Ginny replied.

'If you say so. It wont be long now though.' he thought humourously.

_Not a chance._ The girl responded.

'You seem very confident that you'll be able to keep it hidden. Care to place a wager?' he asked.

_Name the terms!_ She challenged.

Harry was very, VERY tempted to demand a date from her if she lost, but thought better of it. He had promised her that he would keep his distance until she was ready and he didn't want to do anything to upset her.

'She will discover your secret by the end of the week. If I am right, you will cook me dinner the night it happens in the Manson. No help for any of the elves.' he suggested.

_And if she doesn't?_ She asked.

'If she doesn't, I'll cook a meal for you, and that night I'll write whatever essay you have due next. Deal?' he offered. He had quite a bit of faith in Hermione's deductive abilities, so he had no fear of losing.

_You're on!_ She chuckled out loud as she replied. _Just so you know, I want a nice Roast, with potatoes and carrots..._

_Hermione's POV_

'NO! It can't be...can it?' thought the bushy haired brunette as guardedly as possible, 'Only one way to find out.'

'Ginny?' Hermione thought in the redhead's direction.

Not thinking of what she was doing, Ginny looked up to meet Hermione's eyes, _Ya?_

'I KNEW IT!' She sent back with a triumphant grin.

_Harry's POV_

_CRAP!_ Harry received, rather loudly in his mind.

'What?' he sent back.

Then she asked in a dejected tone, _What do you want for supper tonight?_

Ginny's question telling him exactly what had happened, and it made him laugh.

_I hate it when you're right. _She grumbled mentally.

'Told ya so.' was all Harry could think to reply, along with a good, continued round of mental laughter.

Harry was interrupted from his conversation by a finger tapping him on the back. He looked over to see Hermione leaning behind Ron.

"She never heated your watch, did she?" she asked, in relation to the 'notification method' he had claimed to have devised for the Terry incident. Her tone of voice made it sound more like a statement then a question, but the smile on her face showed him that she wasn't upset.

He grinned back and shook his head, but before he could answer verbally, his attention was drawn to the two big doors at the end of the room, which were being opened rather slowly.

* * *

**AN:** Here you go. To make up for my extremely late update last time, I got this one done in record time. Now, speaking of this chapter...

I know that I once said I would no longer use POV changes but it didn't feel right when I wrote it any other way. I had to show that Hermione was actually thinking about it, and I also wanted to show how Ginny was discovered: The same way Harry had. We'll how many more times she falls for this before the end of my story ;)

As for the Flashback, I wont use this style often, but some of you had commented that I forgot about the gifts of the others in one of the previous chapters. This wasn't exactly the case. I had refrained from mentioning them because I had wanted to introduce them slowly one at a time. However, since there has been some outcry at this, I decided to add in the flashback and then throw this at the end so as to satiate the curiosity of my readers. So here are the Hereditary Magical gifts as known by the Mansion Group at this time(in other words; there will be more to come):

**Hermione:** Ethereal form (strong) _(the ability to take on the substance and appearance of a ghost)_, Charms Master, Transfiguration Master, Enchanter

**Athena:** Ethereal form (strong), Charms Master, Transfiguration Master, Heightened magical reflexes, Breather of all

**Demeter:** Ethereal form (strong), Charms Master, Transfiguration Master, Green-thumb, Potions Master

**Ron:** Animagus(normal), Telekinetic, Charms Master, Heightened Magical reflexes, Master Occlumens (medium)

**Ginny:** Animagus(magical) magical winged panther (Tiassa) - smoke travel - melts into shadows - infravision - Telepathic. (Telepath didn't show up in her initial testing because it was actually part of her dormant animagus form.), Charms master, Heightened magical reflexes

**Neville:** Chameleon Skin _(Blend into surrounding, not detectable by detect invisibility spells. Clothes turn too.)_, Teleporter, Green Thumb, Potions Master, Breather of all

**Blaise:** Animagus, Master Occlumens (high), Master Legilimens (low)

Keep the reviews-a-comin.

Farfumsane.


	47. A Very Good Day

**Disclaimer: **Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for, which just goes to show you that I don't own any of this nor do I make any money of this...how it does this I'm not quite sure, but I'm sure it does...somehow...

**Warning: MAJOR Harry/Ginny fluff. Yes folks, it's time.**

**Chap 46: **A very good day.

A head peered into the Great Hall cautiously, before he swallowed audibly and entered the room wearing...a muggle suit?

The suit wearing muggle look alike was followed by a muggle clown, then a muggle butcher (complete with blood stained apron), a muggle police officer and then a muggle baker. Muggle after muggle entered the room with looks of loathing on their faces.

The entrance of the first few Slytherins caused random snickers to be heard throughout the room. After about the twelfth different uniform, a larger amount of laughter could be heard. When it was clear that every single Slytherin had been dressed in a different set of muggle clothing, the whole hall burst out in loud, rambunctious, fits of laughter.

One muggle born at the Ravenclaw table shouted out, "Look! It's the butcher, baker and candlestick maker!" other students cried out other muggle nursery rhythms that described muggle professions, and some of the other students started talking in muggle saying as the horrified purebloods took their seats.

"And you guys mock the Muggles? Isn't that a little like the pot calling the cauldron black...or should I say pot calling the kettle black? Which would you prefer?" cried out a rather boisterous seventh year Hufflepuff.

Harry and Ginny had both agreed that it would be a fitting punishment for the pureblood mentalities of many of the Slytherins. They didn't want to upset their allies in that house, but this prank wasn't as bad as some of the others, and it poked fun at one of the things that sent this house away from the others in the first place.

Once all the Slytherins were in the Hall, including a mail man Malfoy, a trash collecting Goyle, a muggle convict Crabbe, and a 'lady of the evening' Pansy (complete with too much muggle make-up), The tell-tale writing on the wall appeared to explain the prank.

_Misters Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, Myth and Miss Pixie would like to thank and congratulate Slytherin house for their courage in their show of support for the muggle-born students here at the school. This act of selfless unity in the face of pureblood prejudices will, we are sure, go a long way to mend the rift between your house and the rest of the school._

_The Marauders_

The other houses, once again, broke down in a new wave of laughter, this time they were even joined by a number of Slytherins.

As the laughter slowly died, and students had started to return to their food, Blaise stood and faced the rest of the school.

The crowd quieted slightly in anticipation of what he was going to say.

"I would like to tip my hat to the Marauders at a prank well played, and say, 'You're most very welcome.'" he concluded, followed by a slight bow.

Blaise's acknowledgement of the 'thanks' given to them by the Marauders had actually been the password to undo the spells cast by the two new marauders, and caused Blaise to return to normal mid-bow.

When he saw that he had returned to normal, he smiled and sat back down.

A few of the brighter Slytherins figured out what had happened, and then they too got up and said 'you're welcome' so that they could return to normal. Eventually the vast majority of them had clued in, and only the stubborn, truly bigoted or down right stupid members of the house remained in their muggle garb.

'Ah man! I was hoping it would take a while for them to figure it out!' whined a disappointed Harry.

_Don't worry my dear Myth, _consoled Ginny, _there's always next year. Not to mention all those great pictures Peeves has been giving us of all the bullies he's been pranking. I'm sure we can think of something interesting to do with those.  
_

'Oh Ya!' Harry thought, 'That reminds me. I have to get him another batch of wheezes. He's almost out.'

"Harry!" Hermione said sharply, "Would you pay attention!"

"Lay off him, Hermione. He was in the middle of a conversation." Ron said matter-of-factly.

"What?" asked both a confused Harry and Hermione simultaneously.

"I know who you were talking to. It doesn't take a genius." Ron assured Harry, before filling his mouth with another fork full of hash-browns.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ron." Harry tried to deny, rather lamely.

Ron just gave him a questioning look that seemed to ask 'do I really look that stupid?' before he turned his face towards Ginny, and mentally thought her name.

Ginny, completely oblivious to what was going on at the Gryffindor table, looked up and send a mental reply to Ron, _Yes?_

Ron smiled smugly at Ginny, and then turned to Harry and gave him an 'I told you so' look before he returned to his bacon.

It was at about this time when Ginny realized what had just happened._ DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!_ She sent to Harry, Hermione and Ron simultaneously.

A shocked Harry and Hermione both stared at Ron as he ate.

_Why?_ Ginny asked Harry.

'I didn't tell him! I swear!' he told her, trying to insure her of his innocence.

She smiled sadly, _I know Harry, I meant 'why am I so dumb sometimes?'. I wasn't accusing you._ She assured him.

'Oh...ok. And you're not dumb Gin...just gullible.' he replied with a cheeky grin on his face.

She blew him a mental raspberry, before ignoring him and returning to her food.

Hermione, on the other hand, was still staring at Ron in utter disbelief. She finally found her mouth, and asked, "H...how did you figure it out?" It had taken her months, and she still hadn't been a hundred percent sure when she confronted the two of them just moments before.

Ron turned to look at her, and smiled, "Many different reasons, but the final piece of the puzzle was given to me by you."

She gave him a look that urged him to continue.

"Well..." he started as he began to tick each point off on his fingers, "1) He would zone out regularly, and mostly when Ginny wasn't at the table. 2) While the two of them were fighting he never did. He would be grumpy and distracted, but he would never be zoned out like he was just now. 3) They always seemed to know where each other was. 4) Her timing was always just a little 'too' perfect. 5) But it was your comment behind my back that solidified my theory. 'She didn't heat your watch did she'." he explained.

"I admit that I didn't know exactly how they were doing it," he continued before she was able to interject, "But right before you said that, you had zoned out too, like he always does, which meant that Ginny must have been communicating with you too. This means that she either has an item which allows her to communicate telepathically, or she's a telepath. Either way, the odds were that she would be able to hear me if I called out to her, and this time, the odds were in my favour."

Hermione smiled, "Even after five and a half years, you can still surprise me, especially this year. And that's one of the reasons why I love you, Ron." she told him, with a smile on her face, and love in her eyes.

"Oh GET a ROOM!" Neville told them with a grin, killing the moment, "I have no idea what you guys were talking about, but when I saw that dopey grin on Ron's face and similar smile on Hermione's, I knew what was coming. No snogging in the Great Hall." he told them in mock sterness, waving his finger at them.

"You're just jealous! If you're really feeling left out, I'm sure all you have to do is ask, and Demeter would be MORE then happy to help you with that." Ron retorted.

For the first time that year, Neville was speechless, and a bright, bright shade of red to boot.

The Slytherins had been pranked, he had finally put Neville in his place, and Hermione loved him. 'Yes sir, this is looking like it's going to be a good day.' thought Ron.

* * *

That afternoon, Ginny sat in front of her books with her homework spread out around her, but her mind was a million kilometers away from school. 

'I don't love him. So why am I still with him?' she thought to herself. Her relationship with Justin had been going down hill for a while now, if she was being totally honest, it had never really been all that great to begin with. But he was cute, dependable, loyal, hardworking, a true Hufflepuff, and he really did love her. But was that a good reason to stay in a relationship?

She didn't have to worry about him going off to fight and getting hurt, she didn't have to worry about him being hunted, or that he might just not come home one night. But at the same time, she would never have to worry about him fighting a basilisk for her, or fighting dark wizards to save her life either. He wasn't that kind of guy.

He wasn't Harry, and she had finally accepted the fact that Harry was who she really wanted to be with.

'It would be so much easier to stay with Justin and be happy if I thought Harry wouldn't be faithful, or that he was even with a girl right now! That would mean he broke his word to me.' she thought, but she knew he never would. Harry would never betray anyone, especially her.

He hadn't so much as looked at another girl since the mansion incident. Not that it had been a very long time since that night, mind you, but even after wind of his being single again got out, he had turned down every hopeful no matter how smart, pretty or fun they were. She knew, because she had even heard him do it once.

**_FLASHBACK_**

Ginny wasn't usually an eaves dropper, but when she heard the voice of Katie Bell in the common room asking a boy if he would go with her on the next Hogsmeade weekend, Ginny's curiosity got the better of her.

Katie was often looked up to by the other girls in Gryffindor because of the fact that she always had guys asking her out. She never lacked an escort or date to any event due to her good looks and great personality, and that's why Ginny was so surprised. No one had ever thought that Katie would have to ask a guy for a date. She could have any guy she wanted after all, so the fact that she was asking a guy meant that her usual flirting tactics hadn't worked, and that she REALLY liked him. Ginny was more then a little curious to find out who this guy was.

Much to her surprise, and horror, she recognized the voice immediately: Harry.

"Katie, I'm really honoured you asked me." Ginny could tell he was smiling by the tone of his voice and he didn't seem even the slightest bit embarrassed either. "Your pretty, funny, and not to mention a heck of a quidditch player..."

"I sense a but." interjected the forward chaser. Her voice held disappointment, but she was by no means crushed.

"But I belong to someone else." he admitted honestly.

"What?" asked the confused Katie, "But I didn't think you were seeing anyone. I'm sorry. If I would have known, I would never have..." But Harry cut her off before she could continue.

"I'm not actually with the person." he tried to explain awkwardly, "But I'm in love with someone else, and I couldn't do that to you. You're my friend, and I refuse to lead you on and make you feel as though you have a chance with me, when in truth, only one girl does." he seemed to frown a little then, at least she thought he was, she could hear it in his voice. "I just hope some day she realizes this, but until then," he said as his smile returned, "I am single, but not exactly on the market, and no one's gonna be able to change that. Sorry Katie."

Katie smiled as she replied, "Harry, that has got to be the sweetest thing I've ever heard a guy say. She's one lucky girl. I hope it works out for you."

"She's not the lucky one. I am. Even if we're not together, my life is still that much better with her in it, even if it's just as friends. Thanks for understanding and not getting upset." he told her.

Their conversation then turned to quidditch, as Katie could tell that talking about the woman on Harry's heart caused him some pain along with the joy, and soon, they made their way out of the common room and presumably down to dinner. Ginny, on the other hand, hadn't moved a muscle.

What Katie had said had been an understatement! That was, by far, the sweetest, most loving thing she had ever heard any guy say...and he had said it about her.

Ginny fought hard against the tears that were threatening to fall.

'What should I do? He loves me. He loves me so much that he'd even turn down Katie Bell! She was the girl who both twins tried to pick up before eventually losing heart and going after the other two chasers. She was the girl who was asked to Hogsmeade every time it came up by no less then three guys, even a couple of Slytherins had come over before and asked the Gryffindor for a date. But she wasn't good enough for Harry. Harry wants someone else. Harry wants me.' she thought in disbelief.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

'He loves me.' the redhead thought again.

'So what's the problem? He wants me. I want him. Where's the problem in this?' Ginny mulled over this for another hour or so, the homework she had taken out laid forgotten in front of her, until, all of a sudden, her mental anguish was interrupted.

"Wow, that must be a really long page, I've been watching you stare at it for a good 45 minutes." Hermione said with a grin.

Ginny looked up from her corner in the Gryffindor common room.

"Mmmm...ya. Long page." she stammered, turning the page just for show, and becoming a little red in the cheeks.

Hermione gave her a knowing smile, "It's up to you, you know. He wont do anything until you tell him he can. And that wont happen if you're still with Justin. He has too much respect for both you and Justin to do something like that."

Ginny did her best to hide the fact that she was turning even redder as Hermione had hit the proverbial nail on the head, "What are you talking about?" she said, as she feebly tried to deny the truth of her friend's words.

"Whatever you say Ginny. Or should I say 'Gin'." the brunette teased, earning her another blush, "I've known you for a while now, and I've seen the looks you've sent him through the years. I know you stopped crushing on him a while ago, but it's not a crush anymore is it?"

Ginny shook her head in the negative. It hadn't been a crush for a long now, not that she would have admitted to that before now. She was in love.

Hermione put down her book at that point and walked over to her friend, kneeled in front of her, and held Ginny's hands in her own, "You're not happy where you are, anyone who knows you can see that, but like I said, things aren't going to change until you make them."

"Do...do you really think I should?" asked Ginny sheepishly, "What if he finds someone better? What if he just gets bored of me? What if...what if he's changed his mind?" asked the girl, the last part next to a whisper.

Hermione gave her a look of sarcastic disbelief, and then grinned before she answered, "You know him better then anyone, even better then me as much as I don't like to admit it, what do you think?"

Ginny sighed, "No, he hasn't changed his mind, and he won't."

The little redhead looked up at her bushy haired friend and smiled nervously, "You really think I should?"

Hermione smiled, "I don't have any doubt in my mind."

Ginny smiled and gave Hermione a hug as she thanked her, before packing up all he stuff. She had someone to talk to, and she had to do it before she went to the mansion tonight.

* * *

"Malfoy!" the voice called from the mirror in the young man's hands. 

"I am here to serve, my lord." Draco said with his eyes closed and his head bowed before the mirror.

"What is the meaning of your attire, Malfoy? I do not find it amusing, and rest assured you shall be punished when next we meet if you do not provide me with a very good explanation as to why you are dressed in that manner." the dark lord threatened.

"My lord, this was by no means intentional. It was a prank played on the most noble house of Slytherin. To undo the spell I would have to agree that we are equal to filthy muggles, and ask for forgiveness for my beliefs and behaviour. I refuse to do so, and to this point, I have not been able to reverse it." the blond haired boy explained, hoping for his lord's forgiveness.

"You are weak, Malfoy. I would have thought you capable of something as simple as a counter curse, but apparently my faith was misplaced. I can see, however, that your garb is not your fault, and at the risk of my servants being ridiculed any further for supporting the truth, I shall teach you how to remove this enchantment, but do not think you will escape my wrath. What does it say that my most loyal of servants in Hogwarts is so easily taken in by a mere prank, and not even able to undo it! I am...disappointed." Voldemort told him.

"I am sorry my lord. And I thank you for sharing your knowledge with me." Draco said sincerely.

After Voldemort had instructed the young Slytherin on to how to remove the spell, they continued their meeting and Draco told him what he had discovered about the last DA meeting.

"The Imperious? Over 50 times in a two hour period? Very impressive." the dark lord muttered in response to Malfoy's news. On the inside he was yelling, 'WHAT? HOW COULD THIS BE? This boy is nearly as powerful as me!', but he would never let his followers see such confusion and uncertainty.

"This is interesting news, young Malfoy, you have done well in your service to me." Voldemort told him.

"What would you like me to do about it, my lord? Shall I write the ministry and make a formal or anonymous tip? The use of an unforgivable would get him Azkaban, and allow you better access to him." the blond boy suggested, eager to please his lord.

The snake like face of Voldemort visibly angered, "Do you not think I am not aware of that child!" he seethed in a voice barely above a whisper, but dripping with hatred and power, "The only problem is that your 'plan' will never work. The Ministry is in Dumbledore's pocket, and if the boy is doing this, then the old muggle loving fool knows about it. There's no way the child could hide this from him in his own school. And if the old codger knows about it, he has a plan to hide it, and get around it. No. There is no point in changing our plans now. We have already put too much time and resources into our current plan, which has already been set in motion might I add, to pursue something that has little or no chance of success."

The dark lord could see that his young servant wanted to say something, so before the child could anger him further, he spoke again, "The information you gave me was valuable, young one. Do not say or do something now to make me re-evaluate your worth. Learn the lesson that your father struggled with from time to time as well: When to remain silent!"

Taking his master's words to heart, he suppressed his urge to make another suggestion, and merely bowed in acknowledgement of his lord's advice.

Voldemort grinned, "Well done, young Malfoy. You are a gifted student. Something I was quite aware of after your training this summer, but it is always good to see that you are still willing to learn what I have to teach." the snakelike man told him.

"May I always be willing and able to learn all you have to teach, my lord." said the young man from his bowed position before the hand held mirror.

"Very Good Draco. You have done well tonight. I look forward to our next meeting face to face, as that day will see my glorious return to the hallowed halls of Hogwarts!" the evil man laughed.

* * *

At the Mansion that evening, Ginny was cooking Harry his victory meal, as he was hanging out in the lounge with Neville. 

Harry had decided that he didn't want to share his special meal with the other guests, mostly because he wanted time alone with Ginny, and since he had promised to hold back, he took any opportunity he could.

"So she's in there, right now, cooking you dinner?" asked Neville.

"Yep." Harry said, with a smile on his face that betrayed his true feelings for the young lady in question.

"When are you gonna tell her?" asked Neville.

"Pardon?" asked Harry, pretending not to know what the other boy was talking about.

"You know full well what I mean." Neville countered, "When are you gonna tell her you've fallen for her _really_ hard?"

Harry sighed, he saw no point in denying it now, "She knows."

"You sure?" asked Neville.

"Yes, I'm sure. I told her over a month ago." Harry admitted, "She told me she was happy with Justin."

Neville cringed slightly in sympathy, "What did you do?"

Harry frowned and shrugged his shoulders, "What could I do? I told her I'd wait."

"You what?" asked a disbelieving Neville. Neville couldn't grasp how Harry could promise something like that being who he was. He was popular, rich, handsome, and he had all the girls around school chasing him. How could he want to wait for one girl, when he had dozens of others to choose from? Not to mention the fact that he was a healthy teenaged boy. That can't be an easy thing to promise.

"I love her, Nev. I don't have a choice." Harry admitted, his emotion obvious in his voice.

Neville nodded in understanding. Well...not really, but he pretended to.

"How did you get Ginny to cook for you anyways?" asked Neville in order to change the subject.

Harry grinned, "She lost a bet."

Neville laughed in response.

"What's all the laughing about?" asked Athena who had just entered with Demeter.

"Harry's getting a special dinner cooked for him by Ginny tonight, and I was just wondering why he got such special treatment when we have to suffer though a common meal." Neville explained.

"Is Stewy not making good food for his master's friends?" asked the aghast and paling house elf who had just appeared, "Stewy is so very sorry. Stewy is promising to try harder tonight." the elf wept as he threw himself at Neville's feet.

"No Stewy, that's not what I meant...I mean...You cook great, I was just poking fun at Harry, I didn't mean to insult you. Oh...now I feel terrible. We really do appreciate you. Stewy, you do a terrific job." sputtered Neville, much to the amusement of the others present.

"Hey Nev? You want some ketchup for that foot of yours?" asked Athena.

Her comment was met with a look of confusion by Neville, "Foot? Why would I put ketchup on my foot?" he asked as she tried to calm Stewy with a comforting pat on the back.

"It's a muggle saying, mate. They say that you 'put your foot in your mouth' when you say something stupid and embarrassing because you spoke before you thought." explained Harry with a chuckle.

Neville, still trying to placate a sobbing Stewy, nodded in thanks to Harry for the explanation, but as he did that, he missed Stewy winking at Harry with a grin.

"I'm really sorry Stewy. I didn't mean to insult you." Neville said, again. As he hugged the weeping house elf, he realized that Stewy wasn't actually crying, he was...laughing?

"Stewy?" asked a confused Neville.

The look of utter confusion on the herbologist's face was just too much for the others present, who broke down in laughter, especially when they saw that Stewy had been putting him on the whole time.

"I can't believe it!" muttered a shocked Neville, "I was had by a house elf. First Ron, and now Stewy. This has just NOT been my day."

"Look at the bright side; at least it can't get any worse!" laughed Harry.

"Har har har." said Neville sarcastically, "Laugh it up bolt-boy. You'll get yours." Neville threatened half heartedly, to the amusement of the others.

"Sure thing, Nev. But if you're excuse me, I have to go and prepare my study for my dinner tonight." Harry told them, as he stood up and left the room.

When he got to the study, he wandlessly conjured a table and a couple of chairs, then cutlery, plates, glasses, a couple of napkins, and other small things he thought he might need. He refrained from conjuring a couple of candles or anything else that would give a romantic mood, as this was just a dinner between friends, much to his disappointment.

When he finished, he fell into his favorite chair, and pulled a book out of one of his cloak's pockets which he had slipped out of the restricted section of the school library, and began reading.

Madame Pince had absolutely no idea he had it, thanks to Hogwarts, so he knew he could keep it for as long as he needed it. It was a book on warding that was rather comprehensive. He had been meaning to read it ever since he had read a reference to it in another of his books, but he had only recently found it.

Harry was just about finished the 300 page volume when the smell of food invaded his nostrils and ripped his attention away from the book in his hands.

He turned to see his favorite redhead enter pushing a small cart full of food, "How many are you panning on feeding?" asked Harry with a raised eyebrow as he saw the sheer quantity of food she had prepared.

She blushed slightly, "It's not my fault. I learned to cook from my mother, so the smallest recipes I know call for a minimum of 5 servings." she retorted as she put the food on the table.

Harry laughed softly, "I didn't mean to embarrass you Pix. It looks delicious. Shall we sit?" he asked as he offered her a chair.

Ginny smiled nervously, and accepted the chair he had pulled out for her.

She had chosen one of her favorite dishes that her mother had taught her to cook. She also knew that it was one of Harry's favorites. The table was loaded with roast beef with yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, a side of carrots and peas, and she had even baked an apple crumble pie for dessert.

During dinner, the two talked about many neutral topics.

"I agree. We should pick their Marauder nicknames before the initiation. Got any ideas?" asked Harry.

"Well...I was thinking that even if they aren't animagi, the names we pick for them should still be linked to their ability to hide." Ginny said.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's start with Neville. He has the chameleon ability. He can take on the colors and shades of the objects around him, almost like the Disillusionment charm. We could call him...Shade?" suggested Harry.

Ginny wrinkled her nose, "I don't like it, not for Neville. It doesn't really fit his personality. If it was Blaise with that ability, I'd be all for it."

Harry nodded in agreement, "Neville isn't invisible, he kind of blends into the surrounding area."

"Blender!" Ginny exclaimed with enthusiasm, causing Harry to laugh, "What?"

"Do you know what a 'blender' is?" Ginny shook her head, "It's a muggle electronic device that mixes and shreds up food and drinks. They're used to make milk shakes, or mushy paste baby food out of leftovers. Aunt Petunia did that for Dudley until he was about five."

"That's even better." said Ginny with a grin.

Harry smiled too and nodded, "Ok, so we have Neville. Who's next?"

"What about the triplets? They can take a ghost-like form." Ginny said.

"I already had an idea for them. What about: Specter, Spirit and Spook." Harry suggested.

"O-k-a-y...who's who, and why?" Ginny asked, still not to convinced about those three.

"Demeter would be Specter as she tends to be quiet, stays at the back of a group and is not really outspoken. Athena would be Spirit, cause lets face it, she has a lot of spirit. Which leaves Hermione as Spook." Harry concluded, trying hard not to laugh.

"And what's so funny about Hermione being spook?" Ginny asked, still not getting it.

"That's the best part. Ron gave me the idea for that one. One time, when Hermione was being her normally intelligent self, he made the comment 'You're scary sometimes, you know that right?'." Harry was chuckling to himself as he relived the experience in his mind.

Ginny smiled to now, "Ok, I like it. Besides, this way we can blame my brother."

"Exactly." Harry agreed.

"Ok, now we have my brother." Ginny said.

"It would really help if I knew what his form was going to be." Harry pried.

"Oh no you don't. I already told you that I can't tell you." she told him.

"Pleeeeeeeeeease." Harry whined with puppy dog eyes, and thanks to his metamorphmagus abilities, they really did look like puppy dog eyes.

"I said no." Ginny said firmly.

"Fine." he said with a mock pout.

Ginny pretended not to notice his pout and continued, "We'll have to come back to Ron, what about Blaise?"

"He's a snake, right?" Harry said, dropping the pout when he realized it wasn't doing any good.

"Yep. What about Shade for him?" Ginny asked, going back to Harry's earlier suggestion for Neville.

"But that doesn't really fit his form. Any other ideas?" Harry asked, at a loss himself.

"Slip? He slips past defenses, he's head of the spies and he is a slippery Slytherin. Plus it goes with his form." she suggested.

"I like it." he said with a smile, "So as soon as we invite them, and they do their pranking deed, we can initiate Misters Blender, Slip and no-name, as well as Misses Specter, Spirit and Spook." he concluded, as they both laughed.

When dinner was finished, Ginny broke out the pie and passed a slice to Harry.

Harry had noticed that apart from when they were talking about Marauders, Ginny had looked really nervous all night.

"Gin? Is something bothering you?" he asked.

She nearly dropped his piece of pie when he asked her, her hands were shaking so much. Luckily, Harry's seeker reflexes kicked in and caught both it and her hand at the same time, steadying them both.

"Gin, what's wrong?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"Well...you see..." Ginny started nervously.

"Gin you're shaking! Are you alright? Come on, lets go sit down." he said, as he took her hand and led her to the couch by the fireplace. "Here, have some water." he told her, as he handed her the glass he had just summoned from the table.

"Thanks." she said with a shaky smile as she accepted the glass and took a sip.

"What's bothering you? Is something wrong?" Harry asked, worry evident in his eyes.

"No, I...I just have to tell you something...you see..." she stuttered, before taking a deep, calming breathe, and continuing, "I...I broke up with Justin today."

Harry tensed immediately. 'Did I just hear what I think I heard?' he thought, not wanting the hope that was currently welling up inside him to get too pronounced.

_Yes._ She replied mentally in response to his unasked question, "You did." she finished out loud.

Harry didn't dare hope she did if for him, but he couldn't help that this feeling had just erupted in his heart.

Ginny, looked into his eyes and saw the hope and love shining through them, but she also saw the hesitant look on his face.

"I was wondering if your invitation of get to know you better still stood, because I'd really like to take you up on it." she told him with a slight blush creeping onto her face, "Please?" she added, hopefully.

The brilliant smile and pure joy that lit up Harry's face could have illuminated an entire quidditch pitch at that moment. All he wanted to do was pull her to him and never let go, but her earlier rejection of him still weighed heavily on his mind, and he didn't want to make any assumptions that might drive her away again.

When she saw the look on Harry's face, and felt the emotions seeping from him despite the control he now had over his empathic gift, any doubts that she had about Harry's true feelings towards her were washed away. All she wanted to do now, was continue to sit there and bask in the love that radiated from him. It was a love that was hers, and hers alone.

"Are... you sure?" he asked hesitantly. The emotions swirling within him made it difficult to talk, and do anything other then pull her to him and kiss her the way he has wanted to since that night that he was denied the opportunity, but he had to be sure. He really wanted to believe, but it just sounded too good to be true.

Ginny, who was also rather overwhelmed by both hers and Harry's emotions at that point, could only nod in agreement, as words just wouldn't come out.

Luckily, words were no longer needed. Ginny, seeing Harry's reluctance, pulled him ups so they were standing, and threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

After a couple of seconds, Harry realized that this wasn't a dream, and closed his arms around the small, beautiful form that was clinging tightly to him.

When she felt Harry hug her back, Ginny smiled, pulled away slightly and brought her face up to his.

"Ginny...I..." Harry tried to speak.

"Just shut up and kiss me Harry. I've been waiting far too long for ..." but whatever she was going to say was cut off as Harry's lips were pressed on to hers.

The kiss was sweeter then any he had ever tasted before and within seconds, the kiss deepened as they both opened their souls to the other person. They gave each other everything they had in that kiss, all their loves, their hates, their hopes, their dreams, their fears and even their magic. All of that was poured into that one kiss and they both knew what they had found.

A second later, however, they were interrupted by a banging on the door.

"Is everything alright in there?" they heard Neville ask on the other side of the solid Oak door.

Harry looked at Ginny a tad confused, and that's when he noticed the glow around them.

"Ya! We're good Neville." Ginny replied with a big smile on her face, her eyes never leaving Harry. Then, she hugged Harry with more strength then he thought even Mrs. Weasley was capable of.

"Ok..." Neville called back hesitantly, "If you need us, we'll be in the lounge."

"Uh...what's going on Gin? Not that I'm complaining." he added with a grin and he held her close to him. "What was that glow?"

She looked up at him with a slightly confused look, "You really don't know do you?"

He sheepishly shook his head in the negative.

She smiled again, "That glow, Harry Potter, was our magic...intermingling." she blushed slightly as she said it.

"There's something you're not telling me isn't there." he inquired.

She nodded, a tad bit embarrassed, "Well...I guess you wouldn't..." she laughed nervously.

"Ginny?" he retorted.

"You see...that kind of thing usually only happens at weddings, between the bride and the groom." she started, but when she noticed Harry startled look, she hastened her explanation, "We didn't finish, don't worry. It starts out like that, then the couple exchange vows, and then their magic binds them."

Harry smiled, "So I'm not stuck with you for life then?"

Her face turned to one of sadness and a little fear until she realized he was joking with her, then she breathed a sigh of relief, "Myth, don't do that to me." she said with a nervous chuckle.

When he realized that his joke had backfired, Harry pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry babe. I never meant to worry you." he told her in a soothing voice as he ran his fingers through her hair. "To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed if anything. I have no doubt that I'll eventually ask you, so that would have just made my life a whole lot easier." he told her with a smile.

He pulled his face back from her ear, and looked deep into her eyes. She knew that what he had just told her was the truth, there was something in his voice that left nothing to doubt, and she found herself falling in love with him all over again.

"I have a feeling I'll say yes, but then again, you might have to persuade me a little." she said this a seductive grin.

"Oh really?" he replied. "And what kind of persuasions were you thinking?" he asked in mock offence, all the while still holding her body close to his.

"I don't know, Mister Potter, what are you prepared to offer?" she asked.

This time, though, all joking left Harry's face and he looked deep into her eyes, "Everything I have." he whispered, which caused her knees to go weak, before he lowered himself slowly towards her and kissed her again with the same fiery passion that he had only minutes before.

After that kiss, they saw no more need to talk, so they sat back down on the couch together to watch the fire.

Ginny curled up next to Harry, wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned her head on the inside of his shoulder as she stared at the fire with a contented smile on her face.

Harry looked down at the gorgeous being curled up beside him and he smiled as he tightened the hold he had on her. The smile on his face was a mirror of hers.

Half an hour later, Harry decided that he'd chance ruining the mood, and spoke, "So, Gin, I was wondering. Will you be my girlfriend?"

She smiled, and slapped him playfully on the stomach, "Of course I will you prat."

"I figured, but I just wanted to make sure." he said, before his smile faltered, "I only asked because...well...I didn't know if you wanted it to be public. I didn't want people to say anything bad about you being with Justin one day, and me the next."

She sighed, "Oh." She looked up, with something in her eyes that Harry couldn't identify, "You...you don't think anything like that do you?" she asked, biting her lip nervously.

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Of course not Gin. I would never be able to think anything like that about. I know you too well. And I'm sure those who know you wont think that either."

She smiled back, and tightened her hold of him, "Then I don't care what anyone else thinks. I don't want to hide how I feel about you." she said as she buried her head in his chest.

Happy with her choice, Harry smiled and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

After a few more hours of cuddling, and light conversation interrupted by some serious kissing, Ginny finally said, "You know, it's getting pretty late. We should probably get to bed soon."

"My, my Miss Weasley, but you DO move quickly." Harry teased, which earned him a playful slap on the chest.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." she corrected him, "We should really be betting to our OWN beds."

Reluctantly, Harry agreed, and walked Ginny to her room. They had the next day off in the mansion as the rest of Hogwarts slept, and Harry knew that he would be putting it to very good use in the company of his favorite redhead.

When they got to Ginny's room, they kissed a bit more, ok, a lot more, but eventually she got her door shut leaving Harry to his own devices.

He knew it was late, but with the amount of energy he currently had, he knew that sleep would not come easy. The knowledge that the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner he could see Ginny again, however, won out and he decided to turn in for the night.

After getting ready for bed, he crawled under the covers, and just lay there for a short while as the events of the day played over again in his mind.

'Goodnight beautiful.' he sent mentally.

_Goodnight love._ She returned sleepily.

As he lay there waiting for sleep to claim him, he had the largest smile on that his face had ever seen. He knew that this made his life a little more complicated, but it was a very good complication. He just hoped the rest of the Weasley's thought so too...especially her brothers.

But despite that last worrisome thought, he had to admit to himself that this had been a very good day.

* * *

**AN:** Well there you go people. This isn't exactly what I wanted to do with this, but I didn't think you guys would let me wait until next Halloween to get them together, so I re-worked a good chunk of my plot-line to slip it in here. I hope you appreciate the things I do for you! ;) 

Thanks again for your reviews. I like getting them, and they help me steer the story and my thoughts in ways I didn't think of initially. Keep them coming.

Farfumsane


	48. Red Handed

**Disclaimer: **I am SO glad I only have a few chapters left. The hardest part of these last few chapters have been coming up with new and interesting disclaimers, which is funny, since I'm not making anything off it, and all the fruits of my arduous labour are enjoyed free of charge by anyone with internet access and a few hours to kill. Man, it would be so much better if I actually owned this stuff and was able to publish it properly and collect royalties and things.

Ok, I think that about covers it :) On with the story ;)

**Chapter 47: **Red Handed

"Good morning, everyone!" exclaimed a visibly happy Harry as he entered the Dining Hall of Potter Mansion the next morning. He had already been up for a few hours and gone through his morning routine, so unlike most of the others he was wide awake. The other occupants mumbled their replies, except for Ginny, who was seemed to be in spirits as high as Harry's.

She hadn't joined him that morning for some reason, but Harry wasn't worried, as she often skived off early morning physical training. Besides, he could have sworn he heard giggling in her room that morning on his way out.

He took his seat at the head of the table, nodded to Ron at his left, and then leaned over to his right and whispered something in Ginny's ear. She blushed slightly, nodded and then turned her head and gave him a kiss.

"I just wanted to make sure," he said afterwards with a smile.

Hermione just gave the others one of her knowing smiles, which Harry thought explained the early morning giggling.

"Oy! POTTER! What's going on with you and my sister!" demanded Ron, who apparently was no longer drowsy.

"It's about time," muttered Athena, who appeared neither happy, nor sad.

"When did this happen?" asked Blaise from her left.

"Good for you two," said Neville, looking over to Demeter, who nodded in agreement.

"That explains what happened last night, too," Demeter added, to which Neville responded to with a nod of his own.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Ron tried again.

Harry was looking a little worried. He hadn't thought Ron would react like that...at least, he had hoped he wouldn't.

"Uh...well...you see...," Harry sputtered until Ginny leaned over the table and addressed her brother.

"Harry and I are dating now. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked with the quiet sternness she often used to frighten her brothers.

"Nope," Ron said nonchalantly. "Just curious," he added, before stuffing a few pieces of bacon in his mouth.

Ginny smiled, and kissed a still confused Harry on the cheek before returning to her food.

"So...you don't mind?" prodded Harry.

Ron snorted, "Of course not. I've been wondering when you two would be hooking up ever since you snagged her tongue in the griffon stable and survived. It was obvious she liked you more then the rest of the world, or you would never have survived," he explained as he reached for the juice.

Ginny blushed again at the memory of Harry getting one over on her in front of two of her brothers, but didn't comment.

"So...why were you yelling?" asked Harry, no longer confused but still just a little curious.

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Ron responded with a smirk. "I figured you would be expecting some sort of reaction, and I didn't want to let you down, mate," the redhead told his friend, as he gave him a hearty slap on the back.

Harry grinned and nodded to his friend, before turning to Neville and Demeter, "Ok, now that that is covered, what do you mean, 'That explains what happened last night'? What happened last night?"

Neville smiled, "You remember us banging on the door last night?" he asked his friend.

"Yeah." Harry blushed. "We were a little occupied at the time."

"We figured that out all by ourselves," Neville said with a grin. "The reason we knocked in the first place, though, was because we heard the armour and weapons in the Entry Hall rattling. When we came out to investigate what was happening, we saw a bright light emanating from under the study door. We just thought you were throwing spells back and forth or something. But apparently you were 'occupied' with something else at the time."

Hermione's eyebrows went up to her hairline. Then she turned and muttered to Ginny, over the table between them, "You never told me about that!"

"I don't know what they're talking about," answered Ginny, who was (again) rather embarrassed. She had been blushing quite a bit that morning, but she wasn't complaining—the fact that she was now with Harry made any embarrassment more then worth it.

Harry had wisely decided to remain silent and had returned to his food.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? You know what this means, don't you?" Hermione shot back at her friend.

"Drop it, Hermione," Ginny retorted through gritted teeth.

"You don't mean...," Ron started, before he stopped and looked at Hermione. A second later he looked he looked over at his sister suddenly. "Tell me you didn't."

"Of COURSE we didn't!" she said, practically yelling. "But even if we had, it would be NONE of your business, Ronald!" Apparently, Hermione had already done some reading on magical bonding, though Ginny was at a loss to explain why.

"Oh? I have news for you, Ginny. It would most DEFINITELY be my business! If you think you're going to do that with Harry WITHOUT Hermione and me being present, you have another think coming!" he shot back to the total and complete shock of his sister.

Ginny's slack jawed expression was met with a genuine smile from Ron, "Like I said, Ginny, I'm not surprised. I've been rooting for you since my first year when I saw your reaction to him on the platform, though I'll never admit to that again. Why do you think I was so hard on Dean? Dean's a great guy after all...just not for you," he revealed, earning him a thankful smile from his sister. "And you better not tell the others that, or they'll beat me as badly as Harry when they find out about you two," he told her, in reference to his brothers.

"They better not even try it," grumbled Ginny, before she gave Ron another thankful smile. "Oh, and the same goes for you two; Harry and I better be there," she sent back at him and Hermione, causing them to blush as well.

"What are they talking about?" asked a confused Athena.

"I'll tell you later," whispered Blaise.

"What are everyone's plans for the day?" asked Harry addressing his question to the rest of the group in order to change the subject. The last thing he wanted to think about right now was the inevitable confrontation with the rest of the Weasleys.

"Athena and I are going to be working on Potions. Even though she's not taking the class, she's still going to go for her NEWT," Blaise explained.

Athena retorted, "No, I'm not. And you can't make me! I just want to learn how to make certain specific potions so that I can brew them if I need to."

"And like I told you, if you're going to learn those, then you might as well learn the theory behind the making of them, and if you're doing that, then you're already three quarters of the way to completing the NEWT requirements, so you might as well go the extra distance and do that too," Blaise said evenly, as he impaled a sausage on his fork, his face impassive.

Athena just grumbled, the only audible words being, "Stupid Slytherin...stinking potions...don't wanna...," but she didn't argue with him anymore in front of them.

Hermione smiled at her sister's antics before she turned to Harry. "Ron and I are going to be working in the library on our Occlumency. Since I don't have the gift, I'll have a little more work to do to grasp it, and I won't be very strong, but it really helps with organizing your mind and sorting your thoughts. I can't wait!" she exclaimed, a little more enthusiastically than her studying companion, whose face was full to the point of explosion with toast and bacon as he gave her a look that clearly stated, 'You're nuts!'.

"We'll be out in your garden working with some of the magical plants you have. You have some great plants out there Harry, some of which don't, or can't, grow in England. It's an incredible resource, so we want to make sure they're all thriving. There are also a few plants that I'm almost certain have been classified as extinct by the International Herbologists Society. If we could reintroduce some of them into the magical community, we might be able to bring back some of the potions that have gone extinct along with them," Neville explained with as much excitement as Harry had ever seen in him.

"One of the potions that might be affected was a potion that cured magically induced insanity. It was created, and successfully used to help people who suffer from poorly placed memory charms. We're hoping it will help in our research to curing other kinds of magically induced insanity also," Demeter added quietly. She didn't have to elaborate on what she was talking about, as everyone in the room knew about Neville's parents.

"Sounds good. If I can help with anything, let me know. I'm at your disposal, and so is my potions lab. You might want to talk to some of the portraits and get their help too."

"They already have, Harry," interjected Matthias. "And I'm currently working with them on the dissection of said potion, and helping them to figure out which ingredient does what, and if it can be manipulated successfully to attain our new goals. The plant in question was already considered extinct in _my_ life time, and I was unaware of its existence in the garden, an obvious oversight on my part. We don't know if the potion will work, though."

Harry nodded, and then with a grimace added, "I can't believe I'm going to suggest this, but if you need to test it, you could try Lockhart in St. Mungo's. It was his own failed memory charm that got him there."

"Oh Harry," sighed Ron. "Do we _HAVE_ to?"

Harry smiled at his best mate, "If it helps Neville in his research, then I'm all for it. Besides," he added on a more sombre note, "Others have done far worse to us, and suffered far less for it."

Ron nodded in agreement.

"And you two?" Hermione asked Harry and Ginny, in a mildly suggestive voice.

"We are going to be working on Ginny's OWL revision. I think Care of Magical Creatures is on the agenda for this morning," Harry said with a grin.

"Let me guess...she's going to get real familiar with kneazles and phoenixes, isn't she?" Ron whispered loudly to Hermione.

Hermione bit back a laugh, while Ginny tried hard not to blush yet again as she glared at her brother. Harry, however, took it all in stride. "It's not my fault that they're two of the major creatures on the OWL exam, is it?" he replied with a grin. "So I want to make sure that there is _nothing_ about those two animals that she is not aware of."

Ron made a sound of mock disgust. "I don't want to know. Just...no, don't tell me," which got everyone around the table laughing.

After breakfast, the four pairs went their separate ways, but before Ginny could get out of the room, Harry grabbed her wrist, pulled her back in the room, closed the door, and pushed her up against it before engaging her in passionate and loving kiss.

"I've been waiting to do that all morning," Harry whispered hungrily after he broke the kiss, but before Ginny threw her arms around him and returned the favour.

After they had separated the second time, it was Ginny who spoke. "You didn't have to ask permission to give me a kiss this morning, you know," Ginny told him, in reference to his whispered request after he had entered the Dinning Hall that morning.

"I just didn't know when you wanted to tell them, or how. I figured it was best to ask you first, than deal with their questions _and_ your temper," he teased cheekily, and then made a mad dash for the door leading to the park before she could retaliate.

* * *

Neville and Demeter were in the process of tending a wildly overgrown plant, when they saw the most bizarre sight they had ever seen. 

"Is that Phoenix taunting that winged Panther?" asked Demeter in a bewildered tone.

"A winged Panther!" gasped an astonished Neville as he looked up, "Where?"

Demeter only pointed at the pair that were engaged in a mid air dogfight, reminiscent of Snoopy and the red baron.

"I don't believe it! Those are supposed to be extinct!" Neville said in fascination as he stared at the two animals.

"The panther?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's called a tiassa. They are extremely magical animals, thought to be the exact polar opposites of phoenixes. They prefer darkness, but have similar abilities. They aren't considered Dark creatures, but only because they were thought to be extinct well before those types of classifications were introduced. Not much is known of them, but to see him playing with a phoenix, I doubt that it's that bad." Neville explained.

"Wait a second," said a squinting Demeter, "That looks like Harry!" she said as she pointed at the phoenix.

"It's possible. This is his park after all. It wouldn't surprise me if that tiassa is a friend of his." He paused, before adding, "Is that an occamy?"

"A what?" asked Demeter. "Oh, you mean the flying snake?"

"Yeah. It's called the occamy. They're also really magical. We don't cover them until next year I think, in Care of Magical Creatures, so don't worry too much about them. What I don't get is that the occamy is classified as a dark creature. What's Harry doing with dark creatures? I'll have to ask him what his take on the subject is," Neville said as he returned to his plant care.

"So, Neville," started Demeter glancing over at him nervously, "How's your year going?"

"Good," he replied. 'Come on, Neville, where's that Gryffindor courage?' he thought.

"How about you?" he asked lamely, in an attempt to continue the conversation.

"Good," Demeter replied.

After a rather uncomfortable silence, Neville mustered all his courage and spoke. "You know...about the wedding..." he started, not exactly sure how he was going to word it.

Demeter seemed to blush a bit, "I'm sorry if I put you on the spot like that. I didn't mean to embarrass you into saying yes," she said sadly, completely misunderstanding his reason for bringing up the subject. "If you don't want to go with me, I understand."

"No, no, no...that's not what I meant," he back-pedalled hastily, and dropped his small hand-spade as he looked at her, before blushing spectacularly.

'Suck it up, Neville,' he thought to himself, "What I meant to say was, I was wondering if you wanted to go as...boyfriend and girlfriend instead of just friends," he asked in a small, uncertain voice.

The next thing he knew, Neville was tackled enthusiastically as Demeter embraced him with all her might.

"Of course I would!" she said, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was at that point that she realized that she was lying on top of him with her arms wrapped around his neck. She tried to get up as she muttered an apology, but Neville stopped her by wrapping his arms around her waist in return, and smiling at her.

She stopped her clumsy attempts to rise, looked into his eyes and returned his smile.

"Don't be sorry. I've been knocked flat several times this week. Once verbally by Ron and once by a conniving house elf, but this kind of abuse I don't mind in the least," he teased, before closing the distance between their lips and kissing her tenderly.

* * *

Ginny stopped her aerial acrobatics, looked down at the ground and smiled. 

_Hey Myth, take a look at that, _ she mentally telegraphed as she nodded her head in the direction of Neville and Demeter, who were currently kissing on the ground.

'Good for them! I was wondering how long it would take Neville to get up the courage to ask her.' Then the phoenix paused for a second. 'It was _him_ who asked _her_ right?'

_What's that supposed to mean, Mr. Chauvinistic?_ she demanded, clearly annoyed by his comment.

'Not what _you_ think obviously, Miss Jumps-to-conclusions,' he sent back. 'I only meant that if he, a five-plus year Gryffindor couldn't work up the courage to do it, and it took a not-even-one year Gryffindor to make the first move, then we'd have to tease and taunt him mercilessly.'

_Oh, sorry for assuming,_ she replied—she really should have known better by now. She was still in the process of learning when to speak and when not to. _Yes, it was him who asked her. He was even rather suave about it._ She told him with a chuckle.

'Watch this,' he sent before flashing down beside the two kissing figures and reverting to human form.

"GOOD ON YOU NEV! WOO HOO!" he yelled, before flashing back to his original position in the sky, and quickly returning to phoenix form.

This sudden noise caused the newly form couple to jump apart rather quickly, in obvious embarrassment.

'_Why isss it that you humansss change colour ssso easssily?' _ the occamy asked of the phoenix beside her.

'It has to do with being a warm blooded creature and blood flow to the face I believe, Shah, but I have absolutely no idea as to the specifics,' Harry sent as a reply.

'_That isss alright, Harry. Thank you for trying.'_ the occamy responded.

Harry and Ginny resumed their aerial play shortly after that conversation, under the watchful eye of Shah.

* * *

"But Hermione, we've been working at this for _hours_!" Ron whined. "Can't we take a break for a _little_ while?" 

Hermione tried to keep a stern face as she looked over at her boyfriend, but when she saw his face, with its sad, puppy dog eyes, she sighed and conceded, "Fine, Ron. What do you want to do?"

At this, Ron's face split into a grin. "I was thinking we could go for a swim."

Hermione smiled, "Sounds good. Give me ten minutes and meet me outside my door."

Ron smiled and leaned over to kiss her, but before he could connect with her lips, she grinned, became translucent, and drifted up through the ceiling to the floor above, leaving a completely unsatisfied Ron behind.

"I hate it when she does that," he complained to himself, before running up to his room to change.

As he walked down the hall, he thought he heard some loud laughing, so he went to investigate.

"Would you stop it!" he heard Athena say as she tried hard not to laugh.

"But you have to learn how to be able to brew well, even in the face of distraction," Ron heard the Slytherin reply, with an audible grin on his face.

"But I highly doubt the examiner would do anything like THAT while I'm trying to brew!" she retorted, still chuckling to herself.

"Probably not, but I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time someone threw themselves at you," Blaise responded.

"True, but I'm sure if they 'waved their python' in my face, it would have a completely different meaning from what you just did," she pointed out.

Ron's face distorted in disgust at what he thought he had just heard.

'Nah' he muttered to himself as he shook his head and walked away. He wasn't sure if he misunderstood what was being said, but he was sure it couldn't have been what he thought they were talking about...at least he hoped not. He decided it would be better for him to forget he had heard anything, and continued on to his room.

* * *

"And then he kissed me." Demeter said quietly, and she blushed profusely through her contented smile. Harry had made a comment about the newly formed couple when they entered the Dining Hall at Potter Mansion that night hand in hand, and so the two were assaulted by Athena and Hermione who wanted details. 

"That's so sweet!" Hermione cooed.

"Good on you, Nev," Ron told him, as the Longbottom heir blushed slightly at all the attention.

"So now all we have to do is find someone for the two of you," Harry said to the two unattached people at the table. "Unless there's something you're not telling us…," he teased.

Athena snorted, "Not likely."

"And what's wrong with me?" retorted the offended Slytherin.

Athena smirked. "You're too scrawny for me."

"Not to mention you're a Slytherin," interjected Ron in jest.

"And you smell funny," added Neville with a grin.

"And you does not eat enough," threw in Stewy as he levitated a plate full of food over the Slytherin and onto the table.

"What is this? Beat on Blaise Day?" he asked.

"Why not? Yesterday was Beat on Neville Day, and we even had a Beat on Ron Day not too long ago," the tall redheaded boy joked.

"Oh Ron. EVERY day is Beat on Ron Day," his 'loving' sister drawled as she reached across the table to pat her brother's hand sympathetically.

"Ha, ha," he responded sarcastically.

The rest of the dinner passed by rather joyously, with lots of laughing and teasing, but Harry noticed that one of the diners wasn't as involved as he usually was. Blaise was looking decidedly pensive, but he was doing his best not to let it show. Something was weighing on the boy's mind, and Harry decided that he would talk to him about it later.

The evening passed by quickly with the eight of them trying out a muggle board game that Hermione had brought with her. To make it more interesting, however, she had updated the board, and changed some of the names.

"Go to Azkaban, go directly to Azkaban, do not pass go, do not collect 200 Galleons," Ron read. "Oh, man! That sucks."

Boardwalk had been replaced by Hogwarts, and the income tax square was renamed Gringotts Fees. It was obvious that Hermione had done her homework on the magical world as well, as there were magical streets and towns from all over: America, Canada, India, China, Aztec and all the other major magical societies along with the expected streets like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. The small figures that they used were magically animated, much like wizard's chess pieces, and moved on their own. There was the Sorting Hat that hopped along, a flying broom which hovered a centimetre above the board, a headless horseman which galloped along carrying its head under its arm, an old boot which acted as a portkey and just appeared in the correct square, and a whole slew of magical creatures who ran or flew to their destination after the magical dice were rolled.

At the end of the game, it was Hermione's house elf, who looked suspiciously like Dobby had last year at Hogwarts (complete with mismatching clothes, violently-coloured socks and multiple knitted hats) that was the undisputed winner.

"No wonder you won. You had a castle on every property! I couldn't afford anything bigger then a cottage!" whined Ron as he held up the aforementioned cottage that possessed an uncanny resemblance to the Burrow.

After the clean up, they all went off to their rooms and went to bed, but that didn't stop two of them from holding a short conversation.

'You're sure you want to tell everyone about us tomorrow?' Harry mentally asked his girlfriend.

_Yes, I am. Why? Don't you want anyone to know?_ she responded, her mental voice quiet and unsure.

'I'm _not_ ashamed of you, love. I would tell the world, if I didn't think it would put you in more danger,' he sent back.

_You're worried about Tom? I'm not afraid of him,_ she assured him defiantly.

'I'm not worried about him, I'm worried that you'll be attacked by all my fans. They can be vicious!' he sent back with a chuckle.

She blew him a mental raspberry in retaliation.

'As long as you're sure, love. I just don't want you to be hurt, physically or mentally. I know what kind of gossip goes around, and since you were with Justin yesterday in their minds, to see you with me the next day might set the rumour mill off,' he told her, expressing his concern for her well-being.

_Thank you for worrying about me, Harry. But I don't want to hide this from anyone,_ she told him.

'It's your choice, baby. I'll support whatever you decide," he assured her. 'I love you.'

_I love you too. Now go to sleep. It will look even worse if we walk into the Great Hall looking like we didn't sleep all night,_ she teased.

'Yes, dear. Goodnight, love.'

_Good night, babe,_ she replied, before she drifted off into a restful slumber.

* * *

"Shall we?" asked Harry as he looked down at the beautiful young lady at his side who was holding his hand and smiling nervously. 

"No time like the present," she said uneasily.

"You're sure you want this? It's your last chance to back out," Harry told her, giving her one last chance to avoid the attention.

"Yes, I'm sure, Harry. We do this now. I don't care who knows, and you know as well as I do that the rumours will die eventually. I'd rather it come out now, then get discovered sometime next year when you're a teacher and I'm a student. It would do more harm then good to your career if that happened. This way, they all know beforehand." She smiled graciously at him for giving her one last chance even though he knew she wouldn't take it.

"It's your choice, my love." He responded to her with a smile. He then opened the door, and walked into the Great Hall, hand in hand with his true love.

As people had been entering the Great Hall in a steady stream all morning, the two newest arrivals weren't noticed right away, but as they got closer to their seats, located about midway up the Gryffindor table, the Great Hall started to become very silent.

And then the whispers began.

_I hate it when they do that,_ she sent him.

'Me too, love. All we can do is ignore it,' Harry replied mentally, with false cheer.

They sat and were greeted by their friends, as they forcefully ignored the tension that had fallen over the Great Hall.

"Isn't she with Justin?" Ginny heard someone whisper.

"You mean you couldn't see this coming?" another person said.

"Does this mean that Harry Potter's off the market again?" Harry thought he heard behind him.

"Good for him!" was heard from down table.

That was about the ratio of the gossip and chatting. Half seemed to be for the newly formed couple, and about half were totally confused as to what was going on, but there were also a small few who were downright against them.

"I can't believe he stole Justin's girl!" Ginny heard someone mutter from the table behind her.

"He's a teacher's assistant! What kind of example is he setting?" whispered someone else.

"What a slut!" It was at that point that Harry lost it. Anger burned fiercely in his eyes as the room went completely silent.

_Why have they stopped?_ asked a curious, but very thankful, Ginny.

'They haven't. I silenced the whole room for their own safety,' he explained as he picked up another fork-full of eggs.

_Their own safety?_ she asked him, not quite understanding what he meant.

'Yes, their safety. If I'd have heard one more person call you a slut, someone wouldn't have left the Great Hall this morning,' he thought casually as he took a sip of his orange juice.

Ginny's eyes softened and she smiled at her love. _You don't have to do this, Harry. I'm a big girl, I can take it._ she thought to him tenderly.

'I don't doubt that at all Gin, but I will not let you suffer in _any_ way if it is within my power to stop it. And this was, so I did,' he explained, with a loving smile of his own as he turned and he looked into her eyes.

She smiled back, before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and returning to her food.

A couple of seconds later, Ginny spoke to his mind again, _Ron wants to tell you he's sorry about the way the others are acting, and Hermione gives her support as well._

'Thanks. Tell them I appreciate it, and that I never doubted that I had it. I know that they have always been, and always will be there for me, and I will always be grateful,' he responded, before sending his own nod of thanks over to both Hermione and Ron.

After they finished eating, which didn't take long, Harry and Ginny rose and left the Hall.

As soon as they exited the room, Ginny could tell that they were no longer silenced. "Did you drop the spell?"

"No." He grinned, "I placed it on the candles in the Hall, and they each emit a certain sized field, so once you leave the room, you're not in the area of effect anymore. We're going to have a very quiet lunch and dinner tonight too." he explained.

She smiled, "I love you Harry Potter." and then pulled him to her and gave him a big kiss.

"I love you too, _Ginevra_ Weasley," he responded with a grin, as he quickly ducked the blow that came at him due to his teasing use of her full first name.

As they were about to start up the stairs, they heard a voice calling them. "Ginny?"

Ginny knew that it was Justin, and as much as she didn't really want to talk to him at this exact moment, she knew he deserved more then to be ignored.

They both turned, and Ginny spoke. "Yes, Justin?" she asked as politely as possible.

"I just wanted to thank you for telling me last night so that I wasn't shocked. I had hoped you weren't serious, though I can't blame you. You deserve better then me," he said evenly, but before Ginny could reply, he turned to Harry and continued, "Take care of her, Harry." Then he turned and walked away, not wanting to hear what Ginny had to say.

Not sure what to say, Harry and Ginny look at each other and both frowned. Justin was a great guy, and neither of them knew how to respond to his obvious lack of self esteem and so decided to say nothing, and just continued on to Gryffindor tower to get ready for the day.

* * *

"Where is he?" asked Elgin Zabini, a first year Slytherin. The DA meeting was supposed to start 15 minutes earlier, and their leader, Harry Potter, had not yet arrived. 

"Shhhhh. Granger's about to say something," his friend, Lisa Torrey of Ravenclaw, hissed.

"The Headmaster has been detained, and will be arriving late. We are going to divide up into our mixed groups today and start with new lessons on group dynamics and responsibilities. Your groups, as you know, consist of students who are all from the same year so that over time you can get used to working with these people. Please listen carefully as I tell each year where to go, and which professor will be instructing you. Next lesson, you will rotate to a new professor and go over a new facet of your group work," their Assistant Headmistress explained before she directed the first years over to the Head of Defence, Ginny Weasley.

"Where do you think he is?" asked Christopher Abbot, the small first year who had been the first sorted at the feast. He, Elgin, Lisa and Mae Alyssa had had all been put on the same team. This pleased the four, as they already spent time together outside of classes. Of course, this had been the plan all along, as Harry and his friends had observed all their students quite a bit, and even had the different spy units observe the other DA members as part of their training, so that they could create teams that were well balanced and close knit. It was with that information that they constructed the groups.

"Who knows?" Mae Alyssa, the first year Gryffindor answered. "It's none of our business. 'Ours is not to wonder why'...," quoted the well-versed muggleborn.

"What?" asked all three of her pureblooded friends.

"Don't worry about it. The point is that he's our leader for a reason. He knows what he's doing, and it's not our place to question him," Mae explained.

"Oh, ok. I was just curious," Elgin conceded.

"Curiosity killed the cat," retorted the first year Gryffindor.

"Really? How?" asked the visibly confused Christopher Abbot.

"Never mind. It's just another saying," Mae sighed. Sometimes it was just so hard being the only muggleborn in a group of purebloods.

"You have _got_ to get me a book or something with all those muggle sayings so that I can get some idea of what you're talking about," Lisa Torrey told her as she shook her head. The young Ravenclaw was always looking to learn, and time spent with her friends was no exception.

"Alright. Let's begin with the role of the Defender while in the middle of battle," their professor, Ginny Weasley, told them.

"Professor Weasley?" asked Elgin, the groups Switch. The Switch was the member of the team who worked as either a defender or attacker depending on what is needed most. The person in this position also acted as the team's leader as he would be in a better position to see what was needed.

"Yes, Zabini?" the Ginny answered.

"Where is the Headmaster?" he asked, his curiosity still not satiated.

"That's none of your concern. We have our tasks, and it's up to us to complete them. He has his own tasks, and for all of our safety, we aren't always told what they are," the DA's head of Defence explained.

"Could he be fighting another Basilisk?" asked Lisa, the team's attacker. She had originally been trained as a Switch, but since the four of them were already such good friends, the Heads didn't want to divide them so they gave her the role of attacker. Due to her constant hunger for knowledge, she had happily accepted the extra training sessions to help her understand her new position. This also gave the team's leader, Elgin, much more diversity and options in a fight as he could order her to defend as well if need be.

"No. I'm sure he isn't," the redhead said with a slight grin.

"Could he be fighting Voldemort?" ask Mae, mustering her Gryffindor courage. She was the groups Healer. Her job was to defend until someone was injured, or if they came upon someone who was injured, at which point she would drop her defences, and begin her Healing responsibilities.

Ginny smiled at the young girl's ability to say the monster's name without so much as a flinch. "No. I'm sure he's fine. He hasn't left the school to my knowledge, and I haven't been told that there was an attack, so I'm sure it's nothing severe."

"Maybe he's fighting Snape!" said Christopher, the team's main defender. "We all know how much they like each other."

"Look. We could stand here speculating all night, but that won't get your lessons learned. So let's continue," Ginny said her tone indicating that the discussion was over.

After about half an hour, Hermione Granger came to this group during her rotation through the crowd.

"Good job, everyone. You look like you're working together really well. I'd even hazard to say that you're working together better then some of the older years," Hermione told them in a hushed voice so others couldn't hear her.

"Thank you, Professor," they chorused softly.

"Keep it up," she encouraged them, before continuing on her rounds.

About an hour into the meeting, the outside door opened, and in walked Harry Potter.

"Is it just me, or does he look nervous?" asked Elgin, ever the suspicious one.

"The Headmaster? Nah. He just looks a little winded. He must have run here," replied Christopher.

But before any more speculation could take place, Harry addressed the crowd.

"I need the Professors to take over the lessons, and Heads of Houses, I need to see you in the planning room immediately. If anyone has any problems, ask Professor Boot or either of the Professors Granger. They're in charge. Continue for another hour and then you're dismissed." he announced.

Harry gave a nod to Terry and then to Athena, before heading out of the room with the bewildered looking Department Heads in tow.

"What's going on now?" asked Lisa this time.

"No clue," responded Mae, "but it looks like something's happening. I've heard rumours that there's a spy in the DA. This could be a meeting to address that."

"But why did he call it in the middle of lessons?" inquired Elgin.

"Maybe he just got some new information, or maybe it's about something totally different," Mae suggested.

"Whatever it is, we have no proof, nor can we support our hypothesis," interjected Lisa. "I suggest we continue with the lesson and talk about this later."

The other three friends nodded and got back down to business. They'd have the rest of the night to talk about this, but they only had so long to train. Besides, the professor that had just taken over didn't look very patient tonight, and they doubted that he would let them get away with as much horsing around as much as Professor Weasley had.

"Come on, get back to your exercises," Professor Finch-Fletchly told them.

* * *

Once in the planning room, Harry threw up various silencing and anti-scrying spells. 

"What's going on?" asked a confused Neville.

Harry turned to face the group wearing a large grin. "Nothing actually," he said as he calmly took a seat at the head of the conference table.

"What?" asked a bewildered Hermione. "What are you playing at? We were in the middle of sessions!" she chastised in a huff.

Harry smiled. "Can't you think of any reason for my actions tonight?" he asked as he invited the others to sit.

Ginny, Blaise, Neville and Hermione sat, but Ron chose to pace instead. Seconds later, Blaise shook his head and chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Hermione asked Blaise.

"Don't you see? Harry's going Slytherin on us again," Blaise said in amusement. "Absolutely brilliant, Harry."

Upon hearing this, Ron stopped his pacing, frowned slightly, and then smiled as understanding danced in his eyes. "You sacrificed the rook to get a chance at their king." he said, relating the situation to his much loved pastime.

Harry smile broadened. "Exactly."

Ginny had taken out a book and was now reading, as Hermione and Neville remained clueless.

"Could someone please tell those of us who are a little slow what the HECK is GOING ON!" Neville yelled. He had been in the middle of several important curses when he was pulled from his group and he wasn't so sure that his professors had a firm enough grip on them before he left and if those spells weren't handled properly, he might be missing a couple of students next week due to injuries.

Harry motioned for Blaise to explain, as he seemed to be the first to figure it out. Ginny knew, of course, but she didn't really count. She had been there when he had thought of it, and he hadn't been trying to shield his thoughts in the least. She was flattered that Harry had an epiphany during one of their snogging sessions, but she was still a tad put out that he had left her on the couch, her swollen lips pouting, as he ran off to write it down before he forgot.

"Harry knows that there's a spy in the DA. He staged his late entrance and apparently important Department Heads' meeting to gauge the reactions and actions of the remaining students and staff. He, more likely than not, has the people who have sworn their loyalty under Veritaserum watching for odd reactions, and they'll probably be reporting to us after the hour's up," he explained before he turned to Harry. "How'd I do?"

"Spot on, my good man. Anything you think you can add to that Ron?"

"Well...After they leave you probably have a way of tracking them, especially the ones who seemed to have a negative or unnaturally concerned reaction to your sudden arrival. I would assume Luna, the other ghosts and the portraits as well, as you are Lord Gryffindor after all, and they all listen to you."

"Excellent, and that, my friends, is why the two of you are in the positions you are in. Blaise saw the deception, and Ron saw the details of it," Harry told them.

Both smiled at the compliment.

Hermione nodded and pulled a book out of her bag and started reading, but Neville still looked confused, "Ok, I get that, but why didn't you tell us?"

"Hermione," Harry asked, "would you like to take this one?"

She smiled. "He didn't tell us because he wanted our surprise and reactions to be spontaneous so that if the spy is in one of our groups, they would see us and know that this wasn't some sort scheme, even though it was."

"Thank you, Hermione," said Harry.

Neville nodded in understanding now, and pulled a book of his own out and began reading to pass the time.

"What are we supposed to do for the next hour then?" inquired Ron.

"I was thinking we could just hang out here, maybe get some homework done...or if you prefer, I had the foresight to bring the chess board in. Do you want to try your luck?" Ron grinned and nodded with a determined glint in his eye. Harry hadn't played him since before the summer, saying that he needed time to improve his game before being trounced by Ron again. Now, apparently, the moment was right.

"You're on!" Ron said eagerly as he took the seat across from Harry.

The others knew of Harry's refusal to play Ron all year, and so were interested in the outcome as well. They weren't disappointed.

During the course of the game, the other occupants of the room had apparently forgotten their books and were now keenly watching the two friends going at each other from either side of the chessboard.

It was a battle to the very end, one which Ron finally won. He was able to get his pawn to the other end a couple of moves before Harry could and had taken full advantage of his newly resurrected Queen to finally corner and then kill Harry.

"That was a great game, Harry. Care to try again?" Ron asked.

"Set them up," Harry replied.

And so he did. The next game was taken by Harry, and then the one after was a draw as they were both down to their kings.

"Looks like we're out of time, Ron. We'll have to pick this up another time," Harry told him after looking at his watch. They had actually been in the room for an hour and ten minutes, which was good as this would give the DA common room a chance to clear out a bit before they came out.

Harry dropped the spells on the door and waited.

* * *

"Malfoy!" a voice whispered from a shadowy corner. 

'What the hell is he doing here?' the Slytherin thought to himself. Pretending to ignore him, Malfoy just walked on.

"Psst! Malfoy. I have something I need to tell you," the rat said again. This time, however, the two gorillas that were with the Slytherin prince heard the voice as well, and turned to see where it was coming from.

'He can't be this dense...can he? I mean, I haven't set up any protection spells or anything. He knows that in case of an emergency, he needs to leave a note in a specific place. What the HELL is he thinking?' The blond boy thought to himself.

Malfoy turned, anger and hatred burning in his eyes. "Crabbe, Goyle, go back to the common room, I'll be down as soon as I'm finished here."

As soon as the two bodyguards were out of earshot, the rat started talking. "He knows. Harry knows about the coming attack during their Quidditch game! You should have seen him when he came in. It's the only thing that would explain why he acted as he did! He came into the room...," but he was cut off by the back of Draco's hand slamming into his face.

"_Shut up!_" Draco threatened. "I haven't warded the area yet, you _fool!_"

The spy, who had fallen to the ground with the fierceness of the blow, was now cradling his face in silence.

Malfoy quickly muttered to the prone snitch as he raised the necessary spells, "You just better hope that no one overheard you, you incompetent idiot."

As soon as the spells went up, and spying was no longer an option, the rat's stealthy tail smiled to herself and passed through the floor beneath her.

'Harry will definitely find this information interesting,' thought Luna.

* * *

Harry rubbed his temples in frustration as Ginny rubbed small circles on his back. His other friends had all left shortly after the last chess game with Ron, but Harry had waited in the room and talked to the spies he had left in the lessons, the portraits in the hall, and had even talked to a good number of the ghosts who had been sent out to follow the different suspects, but none of them had come up with anything of consequence. Ginny had stayed to keep her boyfriend company, and did her best to help him relax. 

The only interesting thing he had found out, was that a younger group of DA members consisting of Zabini, Alyssa, Abbot, and Torrey, had been really curious and were planning on trying to figure out what was going on. What Harry had found most fascinating and more then a little amusing, was the portrait's rendition of the conversation it had overhead. These four students seemed to be the next Marauders. They were curious, talented, and had a slight penchant for rule-bending, if not breaking. If his current situation wasn't so serious, he would consider bringing this group into his confidence to a certain extent. After all, he needed to find a worthy set of successors to pass the Marauder's map on to. But the circumstances being what they were, this wasn't something he'd be making time for anytime soon.

As he was about to bang his head on the table, Luna materialized in front of him, causing him to smile. She was currently standing in the middle of the table, half of her body above it, and half underneath it. He chuckled.

"Thanks Luna. I haven't smiled for hours. I can't believe no one saw anything," he said with a sigh.

"I guess that means that the fact that I found out who your spy is, is good news to you then," she said in the same casual voice that she would use to tell Harry she discovered a new species of Niffler which fed on ear wax and made it's home in sock drawers.

"You what?" he asked with obvious excitement. Ginny's face also mirrored the look.

"I said: Well then, I guess the fact that I found out who your spy is, is good news to you then," she repeated.

"Please tell me you're serious!" he pleaded with her.

"No, I'm not Sirius. He was your godfather, but I am telling you the truth," the spectre told him, as Ginny giggled.

Refusing to be distracted, Harry ignored the poorly placed pun and pressed the heart of the matter. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Luna asked, appearing confused.

Ginny was finding this very amusing, but was doing her best not to show this fact to her boyfriend. She could tell that he did not see this as amusing in the least at the moment.

"Who is it?" Harry pushed, slowly becoming more and more exasperated.

"It's me. Luna. Don't you recognize me? Oh no, the Tibbledovers must have got you with their dander. It causes forgetfulness you know, but don't worry, it should all come back to you shortly," she said, in apparent distress.

Ginny had to bite her hand to control herself this time. It was getting harder and harder not to laugh. She knew that the situation was serious, but Harry really was asking for it. Luna was Luna after all.

Harry sighed. "Not you, I know who you are, Luna—"

"Oh good!" she interrupted. "See? I told you that it wouldn't take long."

Ginny just couldn't take it anymore, and burst out laughing.

Harry tried to look upset at his love for laughing at him, but he couldn't help but smile too. As frustrating as Luna could be at times, Harry would always be thankful for her quirky personality and her ability to make him laugh.

"It's good to see you smiling again," she told him in a more down to earth voice. "Now that some of your stress has been relieved, do you want to know who the spy is?"

Harry smiled. "Yes, Luna, that would be great. Who is the spy?"

She turned to Ginny and frowned.

"It's Justin."

* * *

**AN:** And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the big revelation. But some of you are saying, "It can't be him! He's a muggleborn! He's in Hufflepuff! He's so...I don't know...timid. But don't worry. This isn't something I just threw in at the last minute, and I do have a method to my madness and all shall be explained in time. 

Now, my purpose for introducing you to the four adorable first years was three-fold. First, I wanted to explain the different positions in a DA unit, and this allowed me to do it in an interesting way. Second, it gave you an idea of how some of the DA members saw Harry and the other Heads. And thirdly, I was toying with writing a couple of one shots with these four as the main characters. Whether that third reason comes to fruition or not, I'm not sure, but these four will be popping up from time to time during this story.

That's about it from me for now. A great big thank you to all the people who review. I love hearing from you guys, and I have received more then one or two good ideas for the story and even plot line through your suggestions, so please keep them coming.

I gigantic Thank You to both my new editor,** SassyBird**, and my good old dependable **Chickadee **as well. You've helped me tons and I am very grateful.

Farfumsane.


	49. Preparing for War

**Disclaimer: **If the World of Harry Potter, as created by JKRowling, was a bed of roses, my writings would be those cheap plastic flowers along the edge of that garden that some fool is trying to pass off as even remotely similar to the beauty and complexity of the genuine article.

**Chap 48:** Preparing for War

In bed that night in Potter Mansion, Harry replayed all the information that Luna had imparted to him earlier that evening.

Justin was the spy. How? He was a quiet, well-liked Hufflepuff. He had been dating Ginny and had never mistreated her. He had never shown any inclination towards the dark. Harry had never doubted him.

As shocking as that news was, it's what Luna had told him afterwards was what had shaken him the most. She had overheard the date and even the time of the attack. Now the question was, what was he going to do about it.

This kind of information really wasn't something he could keep from Dumbledore. He was the Headmaster after all, and the students in Hogwarts were his responsibility. But what would that mean for Harry and the DA? Would Dumbledore tell them he didn't want them involved? Would he announce to Voldemort that he knew of the attack in hopes that the Dark Tosser would cancel it. He had a lot of faith in the Headmaster, and loved him like a grandfather, but the man's need to give everyone and their goat a second chance really grated on Harry's nerves sometimes. Some people just aren't redeemable. Are they?

He had to admit that as much as he knew he would have to kill Voldemort, he really wished there was another way. Not because the man didn't deserve it, and not because of some misguided hope that the evil bugger could be brought back to the light, but because he didn't want to kill. Could he? Yes. Would he feel guilty about it? Possibly, but he wouldn't lose too much sleep over it in the end, whether it be about killing Voldemort or any number of his henchmen. Many of Riddle's followers deserved death too, but Harry didn't necessarily want it to be at his own hand...did he? He was more then a little confused.

Pulling his thoughts away from his inner turmoil, he brought himself back on track. The battle. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up. The DA, the teachers and Order of the Phoenix had a golden opportunity to set up an ambush, and even keep the students safer then if Tom decided to reschedule and attack at a time when they weren't expecting it.

The main problem with this plan, the only problem actually, apart from getting Dumbledore's backing for it, was that they didn't know how Riddle was going to gain entrance into the castle.

As Harry saw it there were several opportunities: the Dark Forest, the tunnels under the school (as he was sure Peter spilled his guts about them at some point.), the village, the air? Who knows? Harry sure as Hades didn't.

"Harry, love, stop thinking so much." Ginny teased, as she tried to lighten the mood, "All I'm getting is a muffled grumbling and it's started to become a bit frustrating." she told him as she got up form the table she had been reading at and made her way over to the couch he was on to sit beside him.

"Sorry babe." Harry apologized, "I promised never to shut you out, but some thoughts I just want to keep to myself so I have a bit of a dampening field of sorts up. If I specifically send a message to you it's clear, just like when you try to reach me I hear it clearly, but this keeps the things that are on my mind to myself until I'm ready to share."

"I can accept that. Actually, could you teach that method to Hermione, Ron and the others? As much fun as it is, the last thing I want to hear about is what plans Hermione has for my brother when she finally gets him naked." she said with a disgusted look on her face.

Harry laughed, "Can do, beautiful. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow."

He was thankful for her lighter mood, as she had not smiled, nor said all that much, since they talked to Luna early that night. After a quick moment of thought, Harry turned back to Ginny, "Question: How does your gift work exactly? Do you just hear tons of voices in your head all the time or something? It must be terribly confusing for you."

He really did want to know, but at the same time, this would also serve to distract her a bit from the whole Justin incident and as a result, hopefully cheer her up a bit.

"No. That's not how it works." she explained, "If I'm near a person, all I need is to be able to see them, but if I'm not making a conscious effort to read their surface thoughts, I don't get anything. That's all I can ever pick up too. Unless they are actually thinking about something, I can't hear it."

"But what about when we're not in sight?" asked Harry, "You talked to me all summer from across the country."

"True." she admitted, "If it's someone I know well, I can just think of that person and it usually works. The better I know them, or if I share a bond of sorts with them like with family members and such, the better it works. Also the closer they are to me physically, the easier it is. The further the person is away from me, the better I need to know them, or the stronger a bond I need to have with them for it to work." she blushed, and with a shy smiled continued, "It's never been difficult with you though, no matter how far you were away."

Harry gave her a genuine smile. "I love you." he told her as he pulled her into a hug which she reciprocated immediately.

"I love you too." she mumbled into his chest.

She wasn't healed, but she was healing, and was all he could ask for after something like this.

* * *

The next morning in Potter Mansion, Harry looked around at his friends before he spoke, "We know the spy and we know when the big attack is coming. Now we have to figure what we're going to do about it, so I can go confront Dumbledore." 

"What?" a surprised Blaise asked in shock.

"Who?" inquired Ron, with a feral look in his eyes.

"Justin." Ginny whispered from Harry's right.

"Justin?" asked Hermione, "But... that doesn't make sense."

"We have an eye witness, Hermione. She saw and heard him talking to Draco, and the information about the coming attack came from his mouth before Draco silenced him with a slap and raised anti-scrying and anti-eavesdropping wards. Trust me, Hermione, I was just as shocked as you are." he said, before giving Ginny a sympathetic look. She still wasn't over the fact that the boy she had been dating had been passing information to their enemy right under her nose. Harry had assured her repeatedly both the night before, and that morning before the meeting, that she couldn't have known and that it wasn't her fault, but was helping. She was too busy going over everything he had ever told her in her mind, and all the times she had read his thoughts, and how she never saw anything that would have given him away. She thought herself a failure.

"It's not your fault Ginny." Demeter told her from across Neville who was between them.

"That's right Ginny. You couldn't have known. It's not like you can read his mind or anything." Neville said in attempts to placate her despair, but this only caused her to burst out into tears.

Harry wanted to explode at Neville, but there was no way the herbologist could have known about Ginny's telepathy, so it would be more then a little unfair to do that to the well intentioned boy. Harry forces himself to get his emotions under control, before his empathic abilities began to over power him.

Harry then put his arm around his love and did his best to send her feelings of love and understanding, but it wasn't easy when other emotions were warring within him for predominance. Once her crying ceased, she cast him a thankful glance.

He smiled back at her before he continued, "He fooled us all, and somehow, he even got around the parchment oath. Hermione, I want you to go over the document, and especially his signature, and see if there is anyway for him to have gotten around it."

"Ok." she said, as she wrote a quick note to herself to remind herself later.

"Before we talk about the spy anymore, we should discuss the attack. We learned that it will be coming on the day of the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw quidditch match." Harry explained.

"WHAT?" Ron roared, "Is nothing sacred!"

Harry smiled to himself, despite the severity of the conversation, at his friend's predictable response, "The only problem is that we don't know where he's coming from, or exactly when the attack will occur. Ron and Blaise, I need the two of you to sit down in front of a chess board and figure out what attack strategies they might use, and which ones would give them the highest likely hood of success. That way we can be prepared."

Harry then turned his attention to Neville, "Neville, we need to make the DA air units a reality. We'll go through the groups next DA meeting and find out which already existing units have flying experience, and you'll take them from there. I want at least five teams on brooms by the time of the attack for any outdoor fighting."

Then, he turned to Ginny, "Ginny, when she isn't studying for OWLs, will be helping me to develop a couple of things that will help us in for this fight. One of them is a ward that will acts as a Dark Mark detector and we'll be casting it on every possible entrance into the school. Hermione, I'd like you to help her with that too if you have some time. Another thing we'll be working on is updating the Marauder's map. We plan on linking the detection wards to the map and so we will need to add areas such as the Room of Requirement, a few of the other secret passages that Hogwarts has reveled to me, and the Chamber of secrets."

"Right." muttered Ron in agreement.

"He might try to come up through there." interjected Luna as she slowly emerged through the middle of the table, looking blankly at the ceiling as she rose.

"What's that Luna?" asked Harry.

"I think it might be a piece of dried banana, but I have no idea what it's doing up there." she informed him as she continued to look at a small speck on the ceiling.

"What?" asked a confused Athena.

"There," the ghostly figure pointed as she radish earrings dangled.

"Oh ya, I see it now." Athena replied as she squinted, "You sure that's a piece of Banana? Looks more like a marshmallow."

"What? No! Not THAT, what were you saying before that Luna. Who might come up through where?" asked Harry.

"Oh, that. Well, I was just saying that maybe Voldemort will come up through the Chamber of secrets. There is that big tunnel after all that comes out in the Dark Forest." she explained as she continued to float up to the ceiling to get a better look at the dried piece of fruit.

"There's a tunnel in the Chamber?" asked Ginny. If at all possible, her face had lost even more colour at the thought that she might have been dragged out to the forest at anytime during her first year and would have been lost forever.

"Oh yes. Though I would guess that the basilisk hadn't been able to use it for several years since, by Harry's description, he had grown too big and could no longer fit. Though I really hope they don't. There were signs that some spotted wompples had been using that tunnel as a den not too long ago and I was hoping they'd come back."

"Do you think he knows about the passage Harry?" inquired Hermione.

"If I had to guess I'd say yes." Harry pondered, "Luna? How did you find it? I thought that the ghosts weren't aloud in the Chamber?"

"They can't." the ghost told him.

"But you said you found that tunnel." he replied.

"I did." the specter nodded.

"But you said you can't go in the chamber!" Harry said, trying again.

"I can't." Luna answered again.

"But you said you found the tunnel?" Harry tried again.

"I did." Luna repeated.

"ARRRGH!" Harry cried as he covered his ears with his hands. No matter how much Harry liked her, sometimes Luna just got the best of him. Seeing Harry's annoyance, the rest of the Mansion group was doing their best not to laugh as they didn't want to aggravate Harry further.

"Luna?" The chuckling redhead to Harry's right decided to help.

"Yes Ginny?" the Ravenclaw asked.

"How is it that you were able to find the tunnel if you can't enter the Chamber of Secrets?" Ginny asked, much to Harry's relief.

"Well...I was floating down the hall and decided to go through the floor. I found that I had been thinking way too two dimensional. I realized that as a ghost I have so many more directions open to me, so I decided to see what was down from me. For a long while I sunk through rock. It wasn't very interesting. But eventually I entered a hallway all the way down there. I was curious so I decided to see where it went. One end came out in a cave in the Dark forest, where as the other ended at a metal door with a snake on it. And since I couldn't get past the door, I figured it must be the Chamber of Secrets." the eccentric ghost replied.

In an attempt to get Harry's mind back on the task at hand, Ron asked, "Harry, if Voldemort knew where it was, why hasn't he used it yet? He would have been able to come in anytime last year to get you instead of tricking you to go to the Ministry."

"Not really." supplied Blaise on behalf of Harry, "He couldn't for the same reason he wouldn't go to the Ministry himself in the first place. He didn't want anyone to know he was back. Had he come to Hogwarts, the chances of him being sighted are even greater then at the ministry late at night."

"Then why didn't he just send someone else to do it for him?" asked Neville.

"I can answer that one." said Ron, "He didn't want to tip his hand. He doesn't know who the spy in his group is and this is way to big an advantage for to lose if for something as menial as kidnapping Harry. The prophecy might have been important, but it wouldn't win him the war, it would only give him information not the victory. He needs to save it for something important, something that _could_ win him the conflict, or at least Hogwarts." he explained.

"True." admitted Harry, "Very true. Make sure to put the most work into that scenario."

"Ok, but I doubt he'll just come in through there. It wouldn't be strategically sound. His best bet would be to bring his main group through there, true, but they'd have the best result if they could spook us from another direction and not have us looking ahead of us as we're running away from danger." Ron told him confidently.

"That's not good." said Hermione as she thought. She then turned to Harry, "We really need to go to Dumbledore on this Harry. We don't have a choice."

"I don't know." Ron interjected, "If we go to him, he'll try to force us out of the planning, like he always does, and give it over to his 'Order' at best. At worst, he's let Voldemort know that he knows, and then the evil prick will just change it to a time when we wont be ready." He didn't want to argue with his girlfriend, but at the same time, he wasn't about to just sit back and not let his opinion be known.

Hermione scowled at her boyfriend's comment.

Ginny, Neville and Athena all agreed with Ron's synopsis, which caused Hermione to scowl even more.

"I have to agree with Hermione, actually." offered Blaise, which got Hermione smiling a bit, "Not because we can't handle it, but because I'm worried what he'll do when he finds out about the DA. If we take care of this on our own, without telling the Headmaster, we've pretty much done in the DA. But if we can tell him in advance, and give him the impression that he is 'letting' us help him, we might have a better chance of staying out of trouble when it's all said and done."

"What ever happened to not tipping your hand?" asked Athena with a smirk.

"That's only to our enemies. Sometimes it's best to actually trust your allies." he sneered in response, "Especially when said ally has a century of experience fighting dark Lords."

"Blaise does have a point. The Headmaster should be told. That way we can work with the teachers and order instead of against them." Ginny piped in, changing her mind.

"But then they'll want to lead the offense, and keep us behind." Neville countered.

"If they let us help at all." added Athena.

Seeing that all but one of the people present had given their opinion, Luna having floated through the ceiling a few minutes prior, Harry turned to Demeter, "What do you think?"

"I don't know. I can see the truth in both sides of the argument." she admitted, "I have to agree with Blaise when he says that the headmaster needs to be told, because if he finds out for himself, and then finds that we knew in advance, then we'll be in a very bad situation. Not to mention it would be irresponsible of us not to tell him. It's bad enough that we've cut him off of his own school with the clouding of his 'desk map' and silencing the paintings and ghosts. But if we don't tell him that Voldemort is planning an attack on his school, what's the point of having a headmaster at all? He has a job to do, and we've been making that job more and more difficult all year. How many of the attacks, like the one on Ron and Hermione, or even the other two boys, could have been avoided if we had let Dumbledore have his usual control? I'm not saying what we've done so far is wrong. But I will say it is a deep shade of gray, and if we don't tell him about this event, I think we'll finally have crossed the line"

Everyone was quiet as they thought about what she had said. But before any of them could retort, she turned to Harry and added, "And isn't this similar to what happened last year? If Dumbledore had told you about the prophecy earlier, then the whole Ministry raid wouldn't have taken place. I don't want anyone else lost because we were keeping secrets from our allies 'for the greater good'." she finished with an apologetic look at Harry.

Harry frowned as thoughts of that night flooded into his mind. He wanted to be upset with her for bringing it up, but he knew she was telling the truth and it had been him who asked her for her opinion after all.

She had given them a lot to think about, but in the end, they all agreed. Some of them, especially Harry, also felt a bit guilty about his treatment of the Headmaster this past year.

Harry was the first to speak, "From the looks on your faces I'm guessing we're all thinking the same thing?" he asked.

"Ya, we are." confirmed Ginny, which got her a smile from Harry, her brother and Hermione. Only three people around the table caught that little joke related to her abilities, but it was good to see that Ginny was starting to get back to normal.

Harry nodded, "Then I'll set up a meeting with the Headmaster soon to tell him everything."

"Everything?" asked a surprised Ron.

"Well... almost everything." Harry confirmed with a quick, meaning glance at Ginny, which both Ron and Hermione understood, "Which means I need a working plan on my desk in two days time so I'm not going up to his office empty handed. I don't care if it's not final, just give me something." he told his strategist.

"Sure thing." Ron agreed with a grin.

"And remember to include the staff and the Order. I want him to know that we are willing to work together on this." Harry amended.

"Right." Ron agreed again.

"Now, for the next order of business. What are we going to do about the spy." Harry asked the group.

His ears were soon assaulted by multiple suggestions all being shouted at once, and he couldn't make anything out of it. He raised his hands for silence before shouting over the din, "ONE AT A TIME!"

They silenced themselves immediately. "Thank you. Now, Hermione, you first."

"As I see it we really only have two options. Leave him be and try to work around him, all the while not letting him know we know. Or the second choice, confront him and risk the chance of news getting back to Voldemort which would probably result in him changing the date of the attack."

Harry nodded, "Can anyone think of anything else?"

His question was met with six heads shaking in the negative.

"So, all in favour of _not_ exposing him and working around him?" asked Harry.

All the hands eventually went up, some of them rather begrudgingly, but they all saw that this was truly the best way.

"So be it. Now. Let's get planning."

* * *

The rest of that day was spent working on their different assigned tasks so that when Harry went to Dumbledore, the headmaster would see that he wasn't joking around and had actually given everything a lot of thought. 

Harry decided to take a break from his work on the map and walked over to Ginny. They were all working in the Mansion's Room of Requirement that evening, as it was able to provide them with everything they needed in the shortest amount of time.

"Do you have those wards down yet Gin?" he asked. The Ron's latest quidditch/defense plan hinged on the fact that the rest of the school was safe. These were the best wards he could find and would not only keep the Death Eaters out, but also keep the students in, and Ginny was doing her best to combine them in order to cut down on casting time.

She sighed in frustration, "No. I don't." she said curtly.

Harry frowned, "I'm sorry Gin. I didn't mean to upset you." he said putting his arm around her and giving her a half hug, "If you need me, don't hesitate to ask." he told her, before adding 'I love you.' mentally which brought a small smile to her lips.

_I love you too. Now leave me alone. I'm busy! _She returned with grin.

Harry nodded once with a grin of his own and continued over to where Neville and Ron were working out an offensive.

"How goes it?" Harry asked.

"I think we have a working plan here. But a lot of it rests on the premise that Riddle's main forces will be coming in through the Chamber. We're also basing this theory on the premise that he only knows about the exit in Myrtle's bathroom and that there aren't any others what we don't know about." Ron said without looking up. He was busy moving things around on the large map he had spread out on the table. Harry remained silent, as he noticed that Ron wasn't quite finished yet.

"I don't think that he'll bring the Dementors into the tunnel with the rest of his troupes. Even if he made them promise not to feed on his Death Eaters somehow, I doubt he found a way to block their natural aura of fear. The last thing he'll want to do is demoralize his main forces before the battle even begins. Besides, What better way to get a quidditch pitch full of students in a frenzy then to send a slew of Dementors at them. But again, that's only a theory." Ron reminded him.

"Theory or not Ron, you're bloody brilliant at this. I've been watching him for a few hours Harry. The things he's been coming up with are amazing!" Neville said of his current work partner.

Ron blushed generously at the praise and muttered, "It's really just like chess. The main difference is I'm not sure what pieces he has left, or the exact dimensions of the board."

"Whatever you call it, mate, it's brilliant." Harry told him as he gave his friend a supportive pat on the back. "I want you to be ready to come to Dumbledore's office tomorrow. I wont be able to explain this half as good as you can. I'll talk to him first for a while, then I'll flame to get you. This map and everything is real right? It's not something that has to stay in the Room of Requirement is it?"

Ron frowned, "Sorry Harry, there was just no way I could have done this without the Room's material. I just don't have the resources."

"That's ok." Harry assured him, "I'll just flash Dumbledore here when that time comes then. I'll just send you a message when I'm about to come so that you can be here and ready."

"Sounds good." Ron smiled.

Harry gave both Ron and Neville one more supportive slap on the back before heading over to his favorite know-it-all to see how she was doing.

"How are the field kits coming?" Harry asked her.

Hermione sighed in frustration, "Fine, but we just don't have enough materials to fill more then a few of them. We're missing most of the vital potions too."

Harry smiled, "That's not a problem. I've had someone brewing for us for a while now. I'll just go and get his finished results this week so that we can get these out of the way and into the hands of the students that will need them."

Hermione looked relieved, "Good to know. There's not much more I can do here for now. Should I go give Ginny a hand?"

Harry cringed, "That might not be the _best _idea right now. I have something else though. I need you to look for a ward that will affect the Dementors. I would prefer that it would keep them out of a specific area, but if that's not possible, I want something that will at least give us an advantage over them. You have complete access to my library, and Hogwarts will let you use anything in the restricted section too. Just go to Godric's office and take a look at the map. There's a secret passage behind the statue of Bertha the Bookworm that leads right to it so you can completely by pass Pince."

Hermione smiled, "I know. I discovered that passage last year."

Harry threw up a look of mock disbelief and hurt, "And you didn't tell me? You're bestest friend and almost brother! I'm hurt! Wounded! Pierced through the heart! OHHHHHHH the BETRAYAL!" he wailed dramatically as he stumbled to the nearest table, clinging to it for dear life as would a poor stage actor taking way too long to die.

Hermione smirked, "Suck it up princess." she told him with a laugh, that he soon joined. Luckily each work area had it's own sound containing spell on it so that the noise wouldn't disrupt the others in the room.

"I'll get on it right away then." she told him.

"Thanks sis." Harry replied.

"Anytime little brother." she responded as she headed out of the area and off to the library.

Demeter, Athena and Blaise were all in the library doing spell research at this time, so Harry had no more means of procrastination at this disposal. Seeing that he had wasted quite enough time, he decided to return to the New and Improved Marauder's Map that he had been working on. He had finally figured out all the spells his Dad and the original group used, and even a few more that he was going to incorporate, and now all he had to do with bring it all together.

* * *

Last night had been a long night for the aged Headmaster. 

Voldemort had been laying low for a while now, but last night he had attacked multiple targets at the same time. Dumbledore still didn't know if his old student had ulterior motives for his action other then to instill even more fear in an already terrified wizarding public.

Riddle had succeeded in at least one thing, the side of the light was short one more fighter, where as they weren't able to capture any of the Death Eaters involved.

Ryan Roberts, a recently new member of the Order, had been skulking around Knockturn Alley trying to gather some information when he was, apparently, hit from behind with a slicing spell that successfully severed his spinal column. The attacker, who Albus could only assume had been a Death Eater, had then proceeded to torture the paralyzed man, and carve the words 'Where's your saviour now Phoenixer!' into the man's flesh. It was obvious that the attacker knew of Ryan's allegiances, how the assailant found out in the first place was another question all together, especially since he hadn't been a for more then three months. Did Voldemort know of the identities of any of the other members? Will he be attacking them soon too? Was there a spy in the Order?

As he pondered this latest quandary, he heard a quiet knock at his door. A quick glance at his desk map only showed a blank space where the knockers name should be. Not sure who to expect, the Headmaster called out, "Enter."

"Good Morning Headmaster." Harry greeted as he entered the room.

"Harry? It is good to see you this morning. What can do for you today?" The old man asked, choosing to postpone his question as to how he tricked the map for now.

"We need to talk." said the unusually serious young man before him.

"About what?" asked the curious headmaster.

Harry quirked his eyebrow, then closed his eyes before smiling. He then motioned to the Headmaster's desk. Confused as to what Harry was getting at, Albus looked down at his desk and was shocked to see a fully functional map, not blind spots and no dead zones.

"How?" asked the flabbergasted old man.

"That's just one of many things I need to tell you today, Sir." Harry told him as he took his seat across from the wizened professor.

"Where should we begin Harry?" asked the Headmaster in order to get he ball rolling.

"The DA."

* * *

A couple of hours, and a few headache reliever potions later, the Headmaster of Hogwarts was staring at the young man across from him with veiled awe. 

'How he didn't end up in Slytherin is beyond me.' he thought.

"I tried, Albus. He wouldn't go." came a voice from the shelf beside him.

Both Albus and Harry turned to see that the source of the voice had been none other than the Sorting Hat.

"What was that Abelard?" the old man asked.

"I said, 'I tried, but he wouldn't go.' I told him that he would do well in Slytherin, having inherited much more then just Parstletongue from Riddle, but he wouldn't let me. And as an heir of a founder, I am bound to listen to his command just like the rest of the castle and beings that reside here, as he has just explained to you." the old hat explained.

"Where did that come from? Abelard, was it?" asked Harry.

"That's right son, my name is Abelard. And I was just answering Albus' unasked question. He was thinking that you should have been in Slytherin." the hat chuckled.

"Ah. I see." Harry said with a grin of his own, "Abelard is right Albus. He did try to stick me in Slytherin, but the only people I had met were Ron and Draco. So big surprise why I didn't want to be put in Slytherin."

Then Harry turned to the Hat with a confused look on his face, "How could you have wanted to place me in that house in the first place though, being the descendant of Godric?"

"I can only use what I see master. At the time, you didn't know you were Godric's heir. All you knew was that you were an abused and outcast boy who wanted to prove his worth to the new world you had just discovered, while at the same time stay out of the spotlight. It was an odd mix, and one only a Slytherin could have pulled off. To be popular, and famous but only ever work behind the scenes."

Harry grimaced, "Putting it that way I understand. But that's not who I really was, it was just the mindset I was in at the time of the sorting."

"True, but as I only get one chance to read most students, it makes it difficult to know what aspect of the personality is really the dominant one, but since children need consistency and stability for a good learning environment we don't resort them. We really can't have them resorted every year as that would just be too much change from year to year and would affect their scholastic achievements. Which is why when you and your friends came up I still said you were Gryffindor first and foremost, even though the only ones who truly still are, are young misters Longbottom and Weasley, who oddly enough, I almost placed in Hufflepuff the first time around."

"Which one? Ron or Neville?" asked Harry.

"Both." Abelard admitted, much to Harry's amusement, "Mr. Weasley I placed in Gryffindor because it was 50/50, but since all his family had been Gryffindor, I put him there. And as for Mr. Longbottom...well...I'm still not sure why I picked Gryffindor. There was just something there that even I can't explain. He had a meek bravery about him that I have rarely seen in a youth. A silent strength if you will."

'Did you catch that Gin?' Harry asked his other half.

_Ya, and I can't believe the Hat thinks I should be in Slytherin!_ She sent back in mock disgust.

Harry chuckled, 'Don't worry love, at least I'd be right there with you.'

"What do you find so amusing Harry?" asked the Headmaster.

The one thing that Harry hadn't told the Headmaster was his and his friends' magical hereditary gifts. So not wanting to have to explain how he just had a conversation with Ginny while sitting in a completely different room, he said, "I was just thinking of Ron's reaction when I told him that the Hat thought he should have been placed in Hufflepuff."

The headmaster's eyes twinkled in amusement, "I can see how his reaction might be a tad bit amusing."

"If we are finished here, Albus, I'd like to move on to the next phase of my meeting with you and discuss the plan we have worked out." Harry told him as he stood and offered the Headmaster his hand.

"Very well Harry. Though I will once again tell you that I don't think you should be involved, no matter how capable you claim the DA is." the Headmaster told his pupil with sadness in his voice.

Harry disregarded his tone of voice, which he knew full well were meant to tug on his heart strings, and replied, "You promised to hear out our plan, and not object until you had heard everything which I had to tell you. Please refrain from commenting on this any further until you have all the facts before you. Please don't take this personally, as you know how much I care for you, but stop thinking like an over protective Grandfather, and start thinking like the leader of the forces of the light that you are. If you don't start soon, then we'll never win this war." he told the headmaster as he took the man's hand and flashed him to Room of Requirement in Potter Mansion.

* * *

Ron finally breathed a sigh of relief. It had been an hour now, and he had just finished explaining his plan to the Headmaster. 

Dumbledore stood next to the two young men, 'remarkable young men', he corrected himself, still more then a little impressed by the plan that young Mr. Weasley had presented him with. It was, without a doubt, one of the best engineered defenses of Hogwarts that he had ever seen.

The Headmaster knew of most of the secret passages leading out of the school, but left them operational as children need their fun, even if that fun entailed sneaking into Hogsmeade from time to time. In this time of war, it hadn't escaped him that Voldemort might try to use one or more of these passages to enter the school unaware and attack from within, which is why Dumbledore had placed several wards on both ends of each passage, and several others at various points in between to let him know when they are in use. He had never though that the chamber of Secrets would hold one such tunnel and was very thankful that these young men had.

"What are your thoughts Albus?" asked Harry from his left. He could tell that his Headmaster was impressed, that much was plain to see no matter how hard the elderly man tried to hide it, the question now was will the old man down play it and say that the children had no business fighting, or will he recognize a valuable ally and work with them.

"Mr. Weasley," the Headmaster started after several more moments in silent thought, "I must commend you on an excellent plan of defense. It was masterfully thought out, and incredibly detailed. I know you that you told me that this wasn't the final product, but I can honestly say I don't know how you will improve upon it." he said with a smile of admiration, which caused the redheaded strategist to smile as well.

"Harry, I would like to accept your offer to help. With Ronald's plans and the training you claim the DA has undergone, we should, along with the Order and other professors, be able to counter this attack and turn it into a decisive victory for the Light." The Wizened Headmaster told his pupil with a great smile.

"Thank you Albus." Harry said as he shook the hand offered to him.

"It has begun then." the Headmaster said with a smile.

Not sure what he meant by that, Harry asked, "What has?"

The old man smiled, "The passing of the torch. You are becoming a formidable leader, and soon you will replace me. But for now we work as equals Harry. You lead your forces and I will lead mine. Come this summer, I will initiate you fully into the Order of the phoenix as my second. If you accept, of course."

Flabbergasted, Harry responded hesitantly, "I...I would be honoured sir. Do you really think I can do it?"

"Harry, I have no doubt in my mind that I am, for once, making the right choice." Albus admitted, "This invitation to join will also be extended to your generals, or 'Mansion group' as you call yourselves."

"I will be sure to pass it along. Thank you again Albus." Harry told him.

"No Harry, thank you. You have put much time and effort into this, and all in defense of your fellow students. And though I don't fully agree with the means by which you were able to accomplish all this, especially when you cut me off of the castle, I admit that I would have attempted to hinder you, and it has probably worked out for the best. The important thing was that when it really mattered, you came to me and told me. You have done what I have failed to do in the past, kept your allies informed. That is a lesson I myself have problems with sometimes." the old man told him as he thought of the events of last year, "I'm glad you learned this lesson sooner then I."

Not knowing what to say, Harry merely nodded in understanding.

"If that is all then, we should be getting on with our day. If you would be so kind to return me to my office, Harry, I think we have a little more planning to do."

"Sound good, Albus." Harry responded as he offered his hand to the elderly Headmaster.

With one final nod and smile to Ron, he disappeared with the headmaster.

"Whew!" sighed Ron as his body visibly relaxed and slumped into a chair.

* * *

"How did the meeting with Dumbledore go?" asked Athena when she noticed that Harry was about to sit down at the dinning table in Potter Mansion that night. 

Harry smiled, "I missed all my classes today in meetings with the Headmaster, but everything is a go. We have his full support. We actually got more then I thought we'd get. I was surprised." he admitted.

"How so?" asked a curious Hermione.

"He's letting us run the show. I think it's a bit of a test, but the reason he gave was that he didn't want the Order to get in the way of the DA. He's not even going to tell them what's really happening until after the battle. He trusts us, and says that he doesn't want the parents of students in the Order to interfere." Harry explained.

"That really doesn't sound like him." Neville said.

"I thought so too." Harry admitted.

"Actually Harry, it fits perfectly with what he told us in the planning room." Ron interjected.

"What did he say?" asked Hermione.

Ron smiled proudly, "He said that Harry was going to be his successor, and he would be initiated into the Order this summer as his second in command. This is your first real task, Harry, and this is his way of showing you that he trusts your judgment, and that he'll support you in whatever way he can in all your endeavors."

"Good for you Harry, I knew you could do it." Ginny told him with a supportive smile.

The others congratulated him too right after her.

"Thank you all. So that you know, you are all invited as well as the rest of my leadership team. Yes, you too Blaise." he told the black haired Slytherin boy, who obviously wasn't sure that he was being included in all this.

Blaise grinned and nodded in thanks for the answer to his unspoken question.

"At tomorrow's DA meeting we're going to break the group up into three units and start focusing on each groups role. We'll stick the traitor into the quiddich pitch group and just make them think that these are exercises in case we are ever attacked during a quiddich game. We'll tell the professors in that group that we are dividing the DA into three groups and each will be learning to defend the castle against a different hypothetical situation since we have no idea what Voldemort's actually going to do. Unlike the Rat's group, the other two groups will be told the truth, but sworn to secrecy through another contract." Harry told them.

"That sounds like a good idea, Harry. What about us?" asked Hermione.

"I figured we'd just rotate between groups. The eight of us will be in the castle during the attack fighting the main forces with the teachers. One of the other groups will specialize in fighting dementors, and the other will be the Broom Brigade. Ron and Neville, I want you two heading that one up during training, but have others in charge to take over during the actual battle." Harry explained, as the other two boys nodded in understanding.

"We have Ron's plans, and they're great, so now all we have to do is train up the different groups to fulfill their roles and we'll be all set." Harry assured them. "Now. Is there anything else we need to talk about before we start to relax for the night?"

"Nope." Ron volunteered quickly in hopes of sneaking out with Hermione before it got too late.

Harry smiled, "Sounds good to me. If there isn't anything else, then I'll say good night to you all, and have a ..."

"Harry Potter sir?" interrupted Stewy behind him.

"Yes Stewy? What can I do for you?" Harry asked.

"Nothing for Stewy, Harry. Stewy has a letter for Harry Potter though." said the house elf as he handed Harry an envelope.

"Thank you Stewy." said Harry as he took hold of the letter.

Being his usual cautious self, he cast a couple of revealing spells on the letter just to make sure it wasn't hexed, and when he was satisfied that it was safe, he opened it.

As he read, his face slowly lost its colour. The others could see that what was written in the letter had truly worried him.

"Harry? What's it say, love?" asked Ginny with concern.

"Um...It's nothing, really." he tried to tell them all with no success.

"Harry?" asked Ginny in a warning tone.

The Boy-who-lived swallowed audibly before just handing over the letter to his girlfriend. His hand started shaking slightly as he passed the paper over, and the look of worry was replaced with one of fear as Ginny took it from him.

The letter seemed to have an opposite effect on the youngest Weasley, as the more she read, the more the blood rushed to her face in anger. By the end of the letter one could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.

Now it was Hermione's turn to ask, "Ginny? What's it say?"

"Nothing!" she growled before turning to her boyfriend, "I need to go for a walk."

Harry nodded numbly, got up with and left the room with her.

The two were so preoccupied with their thoughts that neither of them noticed Hermione casting a silent spell at the paper clutched firmly in Ginny's hand, nor did they notice when an exact duplicate of the letter fell to the floor behind them.

As soon as they left, Hermione jumped up and ran to get the copy.

"Hermione? What did you do?" asked Athena.

Not even lifting her head from the parchment as she read she explained, "It's a copying spell. The books and tests at Hogwarts are all charmed against it, but it works really well on notes for class. I always keep a back up of all my notes in my trunk in case something happens to them."

"Why am I not surprised." the Slytherin muttered to Athena under his breathe.

"So? What's it say?" Ron asked letting his curiosity get the better of him.

It was about then that Hermione laughed, and then began to read aloud.

_Dear Mister Potter,_

_We write you this letter today because it has come to our attention that you have begun to see one Ginevra Weasley._

_As the older brothers of young miss Weasley, we feel it is our duty to inform you that before we can give you our blessing you must prove yourself worthy. You may have already won over the affections of our youngest brother, but that, in no way, assures you our acceptance on this matter._

_The five of us would like to meet with you at a later date to converse with you about what your current intentions are for our young sister, and what your plans are for the future. There will be hoops to jump through, and probably some death defying tasks to complete, so please dress accordingly._

_We await your reply with a time and date that fits best into your schedule as we can assure you that nothing in our schedules is more important then our little sister._

_Signed,_

_The Weasley Brothers: William, Charles, Percival, Fredrick and George._

The others were more then a little amused by this, but it was Ron's reaction that had them laughing most.

Upon hearing the contents of the letter, Ron started howling in gales of laughter. As funny as the letter was to the others, as they all knew that they Weasley brothers would never do anything to Harry, they couldn't figure out why Ron found it so amusing.

After he had calmed a little, Ron tried to explain, "You really don't understand. Harry...he's the first person ever to not cower in fear of Ginny. My brothers and I find that to be an amazing thing. Bill went so far as to say that Harry was the bravest person he knew after he heard about the stable incident where Harry grabbed her tongue. What I find so funny, is that he's afraid of them! He has no idea how much trouble they're in right now since Ginny actually got her hands on that letter."

"You say this as though you're speaking from experience." prodded Blaise.

"He is." cringed Neville, "I got a similar letter after I went to the Yule Ball with Ginny. It wasn't even a date, and yet they still tried to instill the fear of Weasley within me. I was so frightened I burned the letter and pretended I didn't get it. Since I wasn't actually dating Ginny nothing ever came of it." the once docile boy admitted.

Hermione was looking more then a little unimpressed, "Ronald Billius Weasley! I better not find out that you had anything to do with either of those letters."

Ron gulped, but found his voice, "O..of course I didn't love. I swear." he assured her. She continued to stare, however, and caused the redhead to crack, "I swear I didn't! I only went along with the ones to Michael, Dean and Justin. I swear! Neville and Harry are my friends. The others didn't even ask me if I wanted to sign them."

"And?" she asked him with furrowed eyebrows and a death glare.

"And...and...and I wouldn't have signed even if they asked me?" he tried, hoping to avoid the wrath of Hermione.

She smiled and nodded at his answer, "Good answer Ronald."

The others were experiencing various stages of success in holding back their laughs at Ron's excellent display of Gryffindor courage and masculine superiority.

"Why me?" he muttered afterwards.

"Because it's so easy." offered Stewy, who had, unknown to the rest of them, been enjoying the show ever since he handed the letter to his master.

After another round of laughter, Neville spoke up, "If you think you got it bad, Ron, just think of how bad your brothers are going to get it as soon as Ginny gets her hands on them."

* * *

**AN:** Sorry about the delay people. My life's a little screwed up right now...ok...it's a lot screwed up. I can't promise that the next chapter will be out quickly, I can only promise that it will be out eventually. I pray that a month is the longest you'll ever have to wait, but I can't even promise that. I will be finishing this fic no matter what, so please don't worry about that. 

Another apology...I didn't get it proof read or edited (cringe) I know. I shouldn't do that, but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. I will repost it with the corrections as soon as I get them back from my editor(s). I promise.

For your own fun, I've started a Yahoo! Group for my writings. So far this is my only fic, but who knows what the future holds. The site has a few polls, and will have artwork related to the story also posted. I also started putting up the story in case I ever have problems here as I'm not on any other sites at the moment. I invite you all to become members and let your opinions be known, and I look forward to reading any suggestions or speculations you might start batting around amongst yourselves.

Thank you all for your support, I've really appreciated knowing that I am bringing at least a little bit of joy to the lives of others. To my reviewers, many heartfelt thanks. We've hit a record high with this last chapter. Over 75 in one chapter. Thank you all very much. It has been more then one day this past month that the reading of your reviews has been the only bright spot in my day. So I thank you again, and look forward to reading your thoughts in the future.

Farfumsane.


	50. Putting Plans in Motion

**Disclaimer: **If I were actually making money off of this story, I would be able to by my future wife a much more elaborate and extravagant wedding, and honeymoon, but since reality is much, much harsher than the dream world I wish I was living in, our honeymoon will have to be postponed to a later time when we can actually afford one.

**Chap 49: ** Putting plans in motion

Voldemort entered his private chamber from a side room that none of his Death Eaters even knew existed: His training room. The Dark Lord liked to have everyone around him believe that he was all-powerful and able to do all things without effort, and without working at learning it. He wanted them to think he just knew it all.

This mindset helped to induce fear, not only in the general public who feared him as an all knowing evil Dark Lord whose name they were afraid to even speak, as if he might actually hear it and call his wrath down upon them, but also upon his own private Death Eaters. They never saw him practicing, or learning new things, they just saw him casting them in battle, or using them to torture them in sessions. Voldemort knew the fundamental truth of humanity, which he milked for all it was worth:

People fear the unknown.

But as he used the conjured towel to wipe the sweat from his snakelike brow, his thoughts were not on the image or persona that he tried to portray, but deep in thought strategizing about the battle to come.

He knew he had a foolproof plan. There was no way they could anticipate his total plan. No way that they could defend the castle on all four fronts.

As an evil, satisfied smile graced his distorted face, the self styled Lord Voldemort vanished the towel and wandlessly transfigured his exercise robes into very elegant and imposing black ones.

After checking his appearance in the mirror, he exited his private chamber, entered the throne room and sat on his ornate stone throne.

He lifted his wand to his throat, "Sonorous"

"BELLATRIX!" he hollered, before taking off the enchantment again.

The masked and hooded figure of Bellatrix Lestrange entered the room and quickly threw herself at the feet of the seated figure.

"How can I serve you, my Lord?" asked the prostrate servant before him.

"Rise Bella, and report. How goes the preparation of my troupes for the glorious battle to come?" the Dark Lord asked.

The woman rose and bowed slightly in thanks before she spoke, "They are all proceeding as planned my Lord. The air units had been having problems controlling their pets, but I was able to straighten both them and the beasts out before it became a real problem, my Lord. They will be ready on time." she assured him.

The snake like face of the Dark Lord split into a satisfied grin, "You please me, Bella. As you know, I reward my servants when they succeed. Continue to please me, and I shall reward you greatly."

She bowed again at the compliment, "Thank you my Lord. You are very kind."

"Yes, I am." he agreed, "But remember that every galleon has two sides, dear Bella, and you are currently all out of second chances. I am not the muggle loving fool who runs Hogwarts. Fail me again, and you will experience first hand what I do to those who have failed me for the last time."

"Of course, My Lord." she assured him, while attempting not to shudder, "I will not fail you."

"Prepare the troupes in unit 3 for me tomorrow. I will inspect their progress myself. If they should disappoint me, I will be sure to show you just how much." he promised her, "Now go, and continue your assigned tasks."

"Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord." she said as she bowed and backed out of the room. She had learned a long time ago that one does not turn their back to the Dark Lord unless one purposely wants to become a target of his wrath.

"Some lessons are learned easier than others, aren't they my dear Bella?" Voldemort mused to himself under his breath after she had left the room. "But don't worry. Should you succeed you will have impressed me, and will have earned the privilege you so desire. The privilege of bearing me an heir of pure and noble blood."

* * *

"So...Weasley! I hear that Potter's finally noticed you!" sneered Ginny's black haired roommate.

"Good morning to you too, Leah." stated Ginny calmly, as she tried to suppress her look of disgust.

"What finally won him over? Was it your tactics of trying to get him jealous by flaunting your relationship with that Ravenclaw? Or did you have to offer him other...incentives?" Leah Ambers prodded.

Normally, Ginny wouldn't be upset by anything her snobbish roommate could dish out about Harry, as Ginny knew how Harry felt, and didn't doubt anything about their relationship, however, by bringing up Justin, Leah flipped a switch in Ginny that the young red head had been trying to keep off and her rage surfaced.

"You know NOTHING of my life, or his. Don't say another word about ANY of it, or you will regret it, if it's the last thing I do." Ginny threatened.

Their other roommates backed up slightly at the tone in Ginny's voice and the unseen energy practically crackling about her, but Leah merely sneered, apparently unaffected by the state of rage of her opponent. Maintaining eye contact with the youngest Weasley in front of her, she continued.

"Why's that Weasley? Are you afraid of the entire school finding out that you have a knack for 'under cover' work? Maybe I should ask your last conquest if you really are talented enough at it to have captured the boy who lived, or if it's because The-boy-who-lived just hasn't had a real woman yet."

Suddenly, the cocky girl's eyes widened, and images of her youth, and family passed before them. Scenes of her home, her private lessons, her father...

"Snape?" a shocked Ginny muttered. She had said it too quietly for the others to hear her, but loud enough for Leah to understand her perfectly.

Leah Ambers was not easily shaken, but when she heard Ginny Weasley utter her true family name, she lost all colour in her face.

Ginny had no idea what had happened, and she didn't know how she knew what she knew. The look she saw on Leah's face, however, gave her the impression that the other girl knew exactly what Ginny had done, and that she was more than a little frightened by it.

Mustering up some composer, Leah turned to the other girls in the room and told them, "I'm leaving. I'll see you in the Great Hall."

The rest of Ginny's roommates looked at Ginny in confusion as if to ask what she had done to their friend and unofficial leader, but none of them knew how to safely broach the subject, so they chose to finish getting ready instead, and as soon as they had finished, they left the room without a word.

_Harry?_ Sent Ginny, _Harry?_ She asked again, with fear in her mental voice. She didn't know what had just happened, but she knew that it had something to do with her.

'What is it Gin? What's wrong?' her concerned boyfriend replied.

_I...I don't know. But I need to talk to you. Please? _She practically begged.

'Of course, love. Why don't you smoke up to Godric's office, and I'll meet you there.' Harry assured her.

_Thank you._ She replied, before vanishing from her dorm in a puff of smoke.

As soon as she arrived, Harry pulled her into a comforting hug, "Are you ok, love?"

The confused, guilty, and scared Ginny couldn't say anything, however. The incident with Leah Ambers had unsettled her thoroughly.

"What happened Gin?" Harry tried again.

She forced herself to calm down a little, wiped her eyes, and then proceeded to tell Harry exactly what had happened prior to their conversation.

After she had finished, Harry was smiling slightly and holding her close, "It's ok, Beautiful. It's all right. You just discovered one more of your gifts, I'd wager."

"What?" asked a subdued Ginny, comfortably nestled in her true love's arms.

"Legilimency. I would guess that you are a nature legilimens, and this gift is just manifesting itself." Harry explained.

Ginny looked worried, "You don't mean this will happen all the time now do you? I don't want to invade people's privacy whenever I look into their eyes!"

"Don't worry about it, Gin. Really. It'll be alright. It won't flair up once you have it trained. Even now, I think the only reason it flared up was because of the intense emotion you were feeling. We'll start on this tonight, along with Occlumency to help you control it better." Seeing that it had pacified her slightly, he sent out feelings of comfort, and understanding, "It'll be alright, Love. I promise."

Ginny smiled, "Thanks Babe." After a short pause, she spoke again, "Harry? What should we do about Ambers?"

"You mean Snape?" he corrected, not in a mocking voice, but in a tone of voice that told her that he knew exactly what she was asking.

"Exactly." she agreed.

"My personal feelings on the topic are that you shouldn't tell anyone else about this. And if I were you, I'd go to her myself, apologize and then explain what happened. Tell her that it is a new gift, and that was the first time it manifested. Tell her that you promise never to mention it again, and it won't change anything between the two of you." he suggested.

"I wish it would." Ginny muttered, "I can't stand that girl. She's really been insulting me lately, whereas before this year, she only implied and suggested insults."

Harry chuckled, "That's because you have surprised her. You're doing well this year, and are topping the class, and she doesn't know what to do, so, unfortunately like her father, she starts attacking your person. He's a master, there is no arguing that point, but he is arrogant, and refuses to believe that someone could be better than him. I bet you all the galleons in Gringotts that Leah is exactly the same way."

"I guess you're right." Ginny conceded, "But that doesn't mean I have to like it! I do understand though. I can't use that information against her or I'd be no better than her father." she said with a nauseous look on her face. "I just realized something truly disturbing."

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"For Leah to be Snape's daughter that would me that he'd have had to have...you know...been with a woman." she explained, the look of disgust growing more severe.

Harry's facial expression soon matched that of his girlfriend, "I did not need that image in my head. Thanks a lot."

"It could be worse!" she exclaimed.

"How?" asked Harry, truly curious as to what could be worse than that last mental image.

"You could have to sit through a double potions period looking at him for the rest of the morning." Ginny said in a dejected and sickened voice.

* * *

"Hey Guys! How was your day?" asked Christopher Abbot of his three friends.

"Not too bad. You know about transfiguration class since you were in it, Charms was fine, but Potions wasn't as much fun." the young Raven-dor told him.

"Gee Lisa, go figure! Since when has Snape been any fun?" asked Mae.

"Does everyone in your house hate Snape?" asked the youngest Zabini.

"Um...yes, yes we do. Don't you guys?" asked the Gryff-erin, "The git always seems to have a bee in his bonnet about something!"

"You'd think he'd just put an insect repelling charm on his headpiece to avoid something like that." Lisa responded with a look of confusion, and received nods of agreement from the other two purebloods, "Though I could see how that could lead to his attitude."

"You guys are utterly hopeless." Mae moaned as she shook her head in defeat.

Before the conversation could continue, Headmaster Potter stood, and addressed the group.

"Students! The end of the year is quickly approaching, and along with it, some sort of challenge from Voldemort." Harry told them.

The room filled with worried muttering, and slight panic.

Harry smiled and raised his hands in order to calm the crowd, "Friends, please forgive me. I should have been more clear. We are not sure what the Evil Git has planned, but from experience, he's is, more likely than not, planning something." The assembled masses seemed to calm slightly at this before he continued, "Every year since I've started here at Hogwarts, he has tried something, and so I'm sure that this year will be no different. The problem is that we aren't sure what that will be. To remedy this, and to make sure that we are ready for as many different situations as possible, we will be dividing you into 3 groups. To organize all of this, we are going to have a meeting right now with all the prefects. The rest of you are excused, and asked to return in a half an hour at which time you will find out which Hogwarts Defensive Scenario you have been assigned to. Thank you."

"Have fun Elgin." Christopher Abbot said in encouragement to their team leader and prefect.

"Thanks." the Slyther-dor grumbled sarcastically.

"Cheer up El." Mae encouraged, "I know you hate the administrative stuff, but it's all part of the gig, oh fearless leader." then gave him a pat on the back before picking up her bag and following the other two out of the room.

Since the Mansion group had stayed up relatively late the night before putting together a list of who would be on which team, it didn't take Harry all that long to divide the prefects and professors into the three groups. He then sent them off to different, secluded, sections of the Room of Requirement's copy of the Great Hall to be briefed by the different Heads of Houses.

Harry thought it best to put Neville and Blaise in charge of the group Justin was in not only because they were the only two in the group of Heads that wouldn't hex him on sight, but also because Blaise could keep a closer watch on him, and Neville would be in the best position to defend the group against him should he turn.

Ron and Ginny took the flying squad, while Hermione headed up the in-school defense group. The DA was now at about 80 members, which was about a third of the total school. It was a hefty number, but that also made it possible to do things like this. The groups weren't divided evenly, as there were about 30 in the outdoor group, and 30 in the air, leaving only about 20 for the in Castle defense. The reason for the split was the types of combat. In a war, numbers are necessary for a successful counter attack, but gorilla warfare, well that was a different story. The 20 students chosen were picked for various reasons. Most were known trouble makers, or were used to slipping through the school as unseen as possible.

And it was this group that young Elgin found himself in.

As he looked around, he was keenly aware that he was by far the youngest one in the group of 5 prefects. The next youngest prefect there was a fourth year student.

"Um...Professor?" Elgin asked Hermione before she was able to address the group.

"Yes Zabini?" she responded neutrally.

"I was wondering...am I in the right group?" he asked hesitantly.

Hermione smiled, "Yes Elgin, you're in the right group. If you want specific reasons, I'll talk to you afterwards, but right now, I need to talk to all of you."

The young Zabini nodded his head in understanding and sat back down. She cast a couple spells that Elgin thought were warding charms, before addressing the group.

"Good. Now. Before we begin, I need you all to sign another parchment assuring your secrecy. What you are going to hear from me cannot be shared with anyone outside of the people on this list, and in your groups. They will be signing it after the return, but before I go any further, I need you to sign it now." she told them as she pulled out a parchment.

"You'll sign this one a little differently. This will hurt a bit, but to make sure you are truly the one signing it, you need to use this blood quill. I apologize for this, but there is a reason, and I will be explaining everything to you after you sign." she told them, sympathy clearly evident in her eyes.

All five prefects present signed without hesitation and thought they cringed at the pain the quill caused, not one of them complained.

"Alright then. Let's start at the beginning. I would ask none of you to interrupt me until I finish. The reason I asked you to sign this sheet with blood is that we have a spy in the DA. Don't worry, we know it's not any of you. We know who the person is, and that is why you've been divided into three groups. Through this spy, and unbeknownst to them, we were able to discover when the end of the year attack was taking place, and even what type of attack it would be. We are taking this opportunity to prepare, and set up a trap for them.

"This is where you five have some thinking to do. The main fight is going to take place within these walls, while all the other students will be trapped outside. We will be on the front lines, and I need to know now if any of you would like to change groups. You should know that Harry, myself and the other heads handpicked you five and your groups to do this for various reasons. None of you are here by mistake, and we think that you can do it, but if any of you would like to change groups, we wont think any less of you. While you think about this, I'm going to explain what would be expected of you.

"We will be conducting a type of gorilla warfare. Hide, evade, and attack from the shadows. I know all of you are familiar with this school, but part of this training will be to increase that knowledge, and make you more familiar with this school than even Dumbledore is. You will receive tools to help in this, and training which focuses specifically on this type of combat. Make no mistake, this is NOT a cowards way of fighting. This is a smart way of fighting. You will be going up against full grown adults who have tortured and killed without a second thought. Full grown adults who would attack with 20 to 1 odds in their favour. Full grown adults who would not hesitate to curse you in the back and leave you to die before you even knew they were behind you. This is war and you will be on the front lines, but we will not put you there unprepared.

"Your training schedule will be more arduous than either of the other two groups. You will be spending more time in here than the other two put together actually, but you will also be learning directly from Harry, myself and the other heads. If you notice, there are no other members of the original DA in this group. That's because the only ones who will be with you, are us.

"Now, do you have any questions?" she asked the pensive looking students sitting around her.

"I think I talk for the other four too when I say that I can't make that decision for my teammates. Speaking for myself, I am honoured that you and the Headmaster think I can handle this." said Gordon Peters, a seventh year Gryffindor.

The other prefects, including young Elgin, nodded in agreement.

"That's understandable." Hermione smiled, "The rest of your teammates will be back in a couple of minutes. Why don't you go wait for them at the door and then bring them over here so we can go over it all again."

Just as Elgin was about to get up and go wait for the others, Hermione called him over, "Elgin? Do you still want to know why we chose you and your team?"

The young boy nodded. He couldn't help but think that he and his team were way too young for something like this, not that he didn't think they could do it, but he was surprised that the Heads of houses thought they could as well.

"The reason is that we, Harry, Ron, Ginny and I, see a lot of ourselves in your group. We know you're only first year, but Ron, Harry and I were only in first year when we beat various obstacles that some of the professors had put up to protect something." Hermione explained.

"Is that when you went after the Philosopher's stone?" the first year asked.

"Yes, actually. How did you hear about that?" asked Hermione with a look of confusion on her face.

"Everyone knows about it, actually. It's one of the first stories that the older students tell the first years when any of us ask about you guys." the Slytherin explained.

"When you ask about us? Why would anyone ask about us?" Hermione was rarely confused, but right now was one of those times.

"Are you serious?" Elgin asked hesitantly. When Hermione nodded that she was, Elgin continued, "Well, all of the purebloods grow up on stories of Harry Potter, so when we get to school and see that he is part of an inseparable group consisting of his two best friends and their families, we wonder what's so special about these people that the Boy-who-lived has picked them to hang out with above all others. So we usually ask someone a year older to explain, and that's when they tell us about all the things you guys have been through since you got here. The Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Triwizard Tournament and of course now, the DA. That's why there are so many younger students in DA. We've all heard your stories, and to a certain extent idolize you guys." the small boy explained honestly.

Hermione was shocked, "You're not serious!"

"Of course I am. Why do you think everyone at this school gives you guys so much room in the halls? Why do you think Harry is rarely pestered for autographs and stuff when you're all together? It's because we know and respect you all for the things you've done. Sure, some of the girls let their hormones get the better of them earlier this year, but have you seen any even bother to come anywhere near him since he started dating Ginny? Of course not! They know better, and since they know all the stories, him saving her in the Chamber, the six of you going to the Ministry last year, not to mention the way she's always stuck up for him when he wasn't around to do it himself, they all know that he's taken." the young Zabini told her.

"You've given me a lot to think about Elgin." Hermione admitted, "But back to the reason we picked you. We see a lot of ourselves in you, and we know that when we leave, the school is going to need a group of students to look up to. We're hoping the war will all be over by then, and we'll be at peace, but if not, they'll need leaders, and we've chosen you. You have a member in each house, you're all well liked by your classmates." and then with a smirk she added, "And we know for a fact that you're all too curious for your own good."

Elgin gave a proud smile, "Thanks professor. That means a lot to me."

She smiled at the boy, "You can call me Hermione, Elgin. I'm not that much older than you, and besides, I doubt you refer to your brother as 'professor' when we're not in DA."

Elgin smirked, "No, I call him 'git' when we're not in DA, but when we are, I call him by his title. He has earned that much at least. As much as I hate to admit it, he's always there for me, and as a brother he's ok I guess."

Hermione laughed along with the young Slyther-dor, before shooing him off to get the rest of his team.

As soon as he saw his friends come in, Elgin ran over and said, "Have I got some news for you!" with an enthusiasm that his friends rarely saw him display.

On their way over to the table, he told them all the things Hermione had told them about their group and how it reminded Headmaster Potter and the other professors about them when they were in first year. He apologized for not being able to give them details about what their task was yet, but assured them that Professor Hermione would explain everything to them.

Once all the students had returned, found their prefects and gone off to their appropriate groups, the meeting continued as planned. Hermione got everyone in her group to sign the new contract with the blood quill, before she went into her monologue yet again about the style of fighting they were to use, why they were chosen and the expectations that the heads would put on them as they were seen as the best for this job.

All present eagerly accepted the role they were to play, and looked forward to the extra, if not extensive, training to come to prepare them for the task. They were told to meet back in the room the next night at midnight. Their training had begun. Their first assignment was to get there without being caught by any of their roommates, or even Filch.

The other two groups were not given as much information as the in Castle Unit was given as it wasn't necessary for their success. The Air Unit was told of their new training schedule, and also made to sign a new silence agreement with a blood quill. As with the Castle Unit, they were not allowed to mention any of their training, or the fact that a blood quill was used in the signing. The Mansion group had decided to make this part of the stipulation, as they felt that this was something that Justin wouldn't be able to get around, so instead they just had the Ground Unit, that he was a part of, sign with a regular quill assuming that he'd get around this oath the same way he got around the first one. They couldn't let him suspect anything was amiss or their carefully laid plans would all be for naught.

After the meeting, all the units were dismissed, and the students went their separate ways. No one asked other Unit members for information on their assignments as they assumed that they were under the same restrictions as their unit was, and so the conversation on the way out was light, and inconsequential.

Justin tried several times to ask different people what their Unit was doing, but was always told the same thing. They were under Oath not to divulge that information to anyone outside their unit and the Heads of House, and that included the professors. He would always pretend to smile and tell them that they had passed his loyalty test and sent them on their way before trying someone else, much to the amusement of the Mansion group who watched him the whole time.

* * *

"I have some errands to run today before we have our training with the Castle Unit tonight, so Ginny and I wont be around for most of the day." Harry told the assembled Mansion Group, "If we're not back before start time, Hermione, you know what I want to start them on, so you and Blaise can do that and I'll jump in when I get back. Though I don't see me taking that long, as I only have a few stops to make, but anything is possible."

Hermione nodded in understanding, but before she could say anything, Ron piped up, "You better not be stealing my little sister away to have your way with her, Potter, or you'll have me to deal with later." he told his friend with a slight grin.

"I wouldn't dream about doing anything to slight the most noble house of Weasley, good sir. You have my word as Lord Potter that your younger sister shall return after today's activities with as much virtue as she had when we left." he answered vaguely with a smile of his own.

"And how much virtue would that be?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow at the ambiguous retort. Then, shaking his head, he added, "No. Nevermind. I really don't want to know. Have fun you two. We'll see you tonight."

"Oh it's not just the two of us, Ronald." Ginny said in a suggestive voice, "Sally-Ann will be joining us for the majority of the...activities today." she added with a wicked smile.

"And we mustn't keep her waiting. Goodbye all." And without another word, Harry grabbed Ginny and flashed the two of them out of Potter Mansion.

The girls were all snickering at the obvious ribbing Ron had received. They both knew Ginny too well to believe that she'd be willing to share Harry with anyone, but the sputtering red mass that was Ron Weasley didn't know that, and was having a hard time of things at the moment.

"They're not...You know...with...are they?" he finally asked a smiling Hermione.

"Of course not Ron." When she saw that this comment made him sigh with relief, though, she couldn't resist adding, "They know that Athena, Demeter and I would be way to upset if they hadn't asked if we wanted to join them first." before she turned and walked out of the room, leaving a confused Ron, and four other snickering friends behind her.

* * *

"Are you ready to go Sally-Ann?" Harry asked the Slytherin as he appeared in Sally's spare room with Ginny.

"Yep, all ready." she responded as she grabbed her jacket and made her way around the couch to the other two people. Though this was the first time Ginny had ever entered the room, Harry had told Sally-Ann several weeks before that Ginny knew about it. He told her about the map in Godric's room and told Sally-Ann that Ginny had seen the map, and as a result, had seen her in the room at which point Harry explained to Ginny how he had shown it to the Slytherin so that she could have a safe place to go away from Malfoy.

As much as Sally-Ann wanted to keep this room a secret, something only her and Harry knew about, she also knew that to hope for that would be impractical and only sentimental. As a result of this revelation, Blaise had also been shown the room several days later by Sally-Ann as he was another Slytherin who might need a place to lay low from time to time.

Once Harry took her hand, he flashed the three of them to the front door of the cozy little cottage where Sally's Uncle Bill lived.

"Sally-Ann! Harry!" cried the young girl who had been outside playing when they got there, before throwing herself on them both at the same time, knocking them to the ground, much to the amusement of redhead who was still standing beside them.

"Who's you're friend there, Harry?" asked Ginny with amusement.

Harry smiled as he stood up, and then picked up the girl who had been the cause of his fall, "This young lady is Sarah Greengrass." Harry told his girlfriend.

"Pleased to meet you Sarah." Ginny told the young girl, "My name is Ginny."

"She's my girlfriend." Harry clarified with pride evident in his voice, much to the youngest Weasley's delight.

"Is she now! Well that's unfortunate, I had hoped you would hook up with our young Sally-Ann here." came a boisterous male voice behind them.

"Uncle Bill! We talked about that. Harry is way too moody for me!" Sally-Ann responded teasingly.

"My name is Bill." he said to Ginny in introduction.

"Ginny Weasley." she responded as she shook his outstretched hand.

"Pleased to meet you." he said with a kind smile, "I hope you don't mind my teasing. We're glad that young Harry here has found someone to share himself with. He's an incredible young man."

"That he is." she agreed, "And no, I don't mind at all, I have 6 older brothers." she answered with a smile.

Uncle Bill's face distorted in mock sympathy, "You don't do anything easy, do you Harry?" he asked, getting another round of laughter, much to Harry's chagrin.

Harry, trying really hard not to be embarrassed as he carried young Sarah into the house after them, interjected, "Now that we're done the embarrass Harry portion of the morning, let's move on to something else, shall we?"

"But we were just getting started!" whined Sally-Ann playfully, which caused Sarah to giggle in Harry's arms.

Harry looked surprised and turned to the girl in his arms, "Not you too! You know what I'm gonna have to do if you keep teasing me?" he asked with a wicked grin, "I'm gonna have to...TICKLE you!" he said before putting her down on the couch and attacking her with his fingers.

"No...n...no...St...stop!" the young girl got out between laughs.

"You promise to be good?" Harry asked teasingly.

"YES!" she shouted as she continued to be tickled.

"And you'll stop teasing me?" Harry asked again.

"YES! St...stop!" the little girl laughed.

"Ok." Harry said before picking her back up and turning to the others in the room who were all laughing at the display, "Now. Who's next?" he joked as he gave Ginny and Sally-Ann a wicked grin.

"Maybe we should get down to business, and leave...punishments...for later love." Ginny teased seductively, which caused all to chuckle.

"Good idea. I wouldn't want to be a witness to that." Uncle Bill interjected with a smile, "What can I do for you today?"

"We came to pick up whatever potions you had brewed. We'll be needing them soon, and we still have to put together the different packs for the DA." Harry explained in an all business tone.

"Really? How soon?" asked Bill's wife, Judith who was also now in the living room with them.

"Before the end of the year. That's all I can say right now. I'm sorry." Harry told them.

"It's alright, Harry. We understand." Bill told him in a comforting tone.

Harry had come by a couple of times since the initial visit, only once or twice mind you, mostly just for progress reports, but every time he did he was received with joy and as part of the family. Hence Sarah's rather enthusiastic greeting.

"I have them all over here in that trunk you brought." Uncle Bill told him as he grabbed his cane and started making his way to the basement door.

It was a magnificent trunk. Harry had Dobby build it for him. He bought a good trunk form a shop, but had Dobby modify it to have sliding drawers where vials could be inserted. It had been modified to hold over 5000 vials of potion and keep them safely stored and at an ideal temperature.

"It's almost half full now, so you should have more than enough for what you need. Either way, I'll continue to brew, and have them ready for you should you need them." Bill explained to him along the way.

Harry smiled and responded, "Thanks a lot Bill. What you've done for us is..."

"Not nearly as much as I would like." Bill interrupted, "I hate to think that a bunch of kids, no matter how mature and prepared, are fighting this war for us. I just wish I could be on the front lines with you, Harry."

Harry smiled at the man's honest tone, "I know Bill, and to tell you the truth, I hate the fact that a bunch of kids are fighting this war too. I don't have a choice, but they all do. I just wish they would have chosen not to get involved, but I know full well that if I was in their position, I wouldn't let one of my friends do it alone."

Bill merely nodded. There was so much more he wanted to say but knew that nothing he could say would change Harry's mind, so he would support him in anyway he could. Bill had always been a firm believer that you were either part of the solution, or part of the problem, and he refused to be part of the problem.

The rest of the visit went quickly, and after their goodbyes, Harry flashed Sally-Ann and Ginny back to the War Room in the DA room where Hermione was waiting for them to continue organizing the field potion packs.

"We shouldn't be too much longer, we just have two more stops to make." he told his bushy haired assistant headmistress, before taking Ginny's hand and flashing off to their next destination, leaving Sally-Ann behind to help his busy friend.

A couple of minutes later, after preparations were made, Harry appeared in the back room of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes for his meeting with the twins. He had to get the supplies for the fight so that he knew what they were going to train the DA in.

'I hope you know what you're doing, love.' Harry sent his girlfriend. He was more than a little nervous meeting with her brothers with no apparent back up, but he trusted Ginny's plans and was putting all his faith in her.

_Don't worry babe. If they try anything, they'll be regretting it for years to come. Years!_ She emphasized.

Harry nodded in agreement, took a deep, calming breath, and opened the door to the main shop.

"Harry! What a pleasant..." said one of the twins.

"...Surprise!" the other finished.

"I'll be right back." Fred said, before ducking into the back room.

"What can we do for you today Harry?" George asked as his brother slipped upstairs.

"I was wondering if you have the different things we talked about for the defense of Hogwarts. The fight is coming, I know when, and we have to start training, so I need to know what we have at our disposal." Harry explained, using his empathic abilities and occlumency to cover over his nervousness.

"When will it be?" asked George.

"I can't tell you right now, it's not secure here. Come to Hogwarts tonight, at midnight with anything you have that can help, and we'll explain everything." Harry told him, "Bring Lee, Angelina, Katie and Alicia too if they want to help, but don't tell them we know when it is. It's not that I don't trust them. I just don't trust any surroundings that I don't control. I'll explain it all tonight."

George nodded in understanding, as he heard the sound of multiple people's footsteps coming down the stairs.

Harry's fight against his nerves became a full fledged battle as he saw Fred come out of the back room followed by Charlie, Bill and Percy.

They were all grinning menacingly, as they slowly surrounded him.

Not sure what they were doing, but not wanting this situation to escalate to a point where he would have to attack physically and as a result, hurt his well meaning if not misguided, friends, Harry chose to remain silent.

George was the first to speak, "We know you're the leader in this fight, Harry..."

"...And you are our leader in it without a question in our mind." Fred finished.

"And don't get us wrong, we are still going to..." George continued

"...And always will..." Fred interjected

"...Follow you into battle as we've been discussing in DA..." elaborated George.

"...Or any other time you need us." finished Fred.

"This is strictly a family related issue, and totally unrelated to the war effort." assured Percy.

"It is our duty to look out for our younger sister's best interests. And as a result, we have a whole slew of different things we will do to you if you hurt her." Bill explained.

"And a few things..." Fred interjected

"...we plan on doing anyways." finished George.

After a pause of about a minute, during which time they had been wating for Harry to say something, The silence was broken.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say?" asked Charlie, in an attempt to sound intimidating.

"Do you _really_ want me to say something?" Harry asked getting a nod from Bill who grinned as he menacingly cracked his knuckles.

"Ok then, you asked for it." Harry told them, as his nervous expression melted away and was replaced by an evil grin, "Ginny?"

One word. Only one word. That's all it took for the five, big, strong, intimidating men in the room to lose all semblance of composure, not to mention all the blood from their faces.

"You...you...you..." George tried.

"...Didn't...did you?" Fred managed to finish, just as the invisibility cloak dropped to the floor around the feet of one very pissed off Ginny Weasley who had been standing at Harry's side all along.

"That I did." Harry assured them, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to." He then turned to Ginny, who was still fuming and hadn't yet said a word. "I'll be back for you in an hour, love. Is that good for you?"

"Better make that two." she ground out through clenched teeth, the anger rolling off her in waves.

"Anything you say, beautiful."

And with a quick kiss to her temple, he was gone in a flash.

Her eyes, which never left her now cowering brothers, narrowed even more as an evil grin graced her lips. Then, in a voice that almost caused her dragon tamer brother to wet himself, she asked, "Alright, who's first?"

* * *

**AN:** Ok, so I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry bout that. I was actually planning on getting much, much further than this in this chapter, but I figured you'd want an update sometime before my wedding, and so I thought I'd give you what I got. This way, it will keep you on the edge of your seat 'til I can get to a computer again and continue my writing.

Sorry it took a little longer then anticipated, but it's here now! Enjoy.

Thank you all for your support, and continued interest. Please feel free to comment, or ask questions about this or any other of my chapters either in reviews on this site, or as messages on my new Yahoo! page, "farfumsanefanfiction". The link is on my author page as my homepage link.

**Warning**: I wont be updating for a while. At least a month, possibly more. My wedding is on the 20th, and we won't be having much, if any, contact with the outside world for a good week after that. So as a result, you wont be getting an update for a while, sorry bout that guys. That being said, please don't worry that I wont finish it. I WILL be completing this story, and I WILL be completing a sequel. Have no doubts about that. It's just gonna take a little longer than I had originally hoped it would.

Thanks again to my reviewers but mostly my editors, Chickadee and Sassybirdie. Wow...I never noticed how much of a fowl bunch my editors are...HAHAHA...get it? fowl! Oh...I kill me. Just joking girls :D I'd be lost without you.

Anyways...enough with the bad jokes.

Farfumsane.


	51. Let the Games Begin!

**Disclaimer: **

**Married life is fun  
And it's only just begun  
Unfortunately for you  
It's time consuming too  
But don't worry cause this fic will get done.**

**Chap 50: Let the Games Begin!**

Now that he was free from the Weasley brothers' clutches, Harry morphed into his form of 'Hero of Diagon Alley' and made his way over to the Thatcher's Apothecary and was greeted immediately upon entering.

"A good day to you Lord Gryffindor." Mr. Thatcher said in formal greeting.

Harry looked up to see not only William, but also a couple of people there with him that looked more than a little slimy. Seeing the pleading look in William's eyes, Harry decided to play along.

"Good day to you too William. How are you this morning?" Harry asked politely, all the while giving off an air of nobility.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but you will have to leave." commented one of the slimy men who was dressed in slick and most certainly over priced black professional robes.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked the man in an offended manner.

"No offense meant, my lord, but this apothecary has been closed." the other, who wore a small pair of round framed glasses which made him look like a cheep bookie, answered.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "What is the reason for the foreclosure?"

"The owner of this establishment has not been able to pay his rent for this space for the past several months, and so we are claiming all of his stock as collateral." the first sneered at a defeated looking Mr. Thatcher.

"How much does he owe?" Harry asked, feigning professional curiosity.

"500 galleons." the second man said, matter-of-factly.

Harry nodded, "Well then, it's a good thing I came today." He said before pulling out a bag of gold from a pocket in his cloak. Harry then opened the back and pulled out fifty galleons and placed them on the counter in front of Mr. Thatcher, and proceeded to hand the bag over to the one that looked like a corrupt accountant.

"The total bill came out to 550 galleons, so there are now 500 galleons in this bag. That should cover his debt. Have a nice day gentlemen." Harry turned to William and pretended to ignore the other two men, "The fifty on the counter is, of course, the difference for what I owed you for the potion supplies you've been supplying me with. We need to discuss a more direct form of payment for our future dealings however, as it is impractical for me to come down here and pay..." Harry then trailed off before turning to the two men who still stood behind him.

"Is there something else I can do for you gentlemen?" Harry asked them with a raised eyebrow, as he did a quick Legillimens scan of the two.

"You can't pay for him! This is our shop now and everything in it now belong to us." the first one sneered in a whiny voice.

Harry smiled, "I didn't 'pay for him'. As I said, the money was his for the ingredients he had sent me earlier. I'm sure you're friend here can tell you that you no longer have any legal claim to the contents of this building."

The first one nodded, but then sneered, "True, but the foreclosure stands. We had legitimate grievances against him, and as a result we are terminating the lease. He only has two more hours to vacate the premises at which time all items left on the property will be forfeit and belonging to us."

The other smiled in response.

"So be it." Harry said, before calling out, "Stewy, Dobby, Winky, Master Gryffindor calls you."

Immediately the three house elves appeared. Harry knew his friends were quick enough to pick up on that last bit that he said and would act appropriately. He had faith in his little friends, and they had never let him down before.

"Yes master Gryffindor?" Stewy asked.

"Stewy, you and the others are to move all belongings from this premises to the shop at 304 Diagon Alley." Harry ordered them.

The Elves nodded briefly and began transporting.

"You can't do that!" the slimy one whined.

"And why is that?" Harry inquired evenly.

"He...you...he can't pay you! How do you expect to be reimbursed? You're stealing from me!" the first man sputtered again.

"Listen, **simpleton**!" Harry practically roared while at the same time emanating a feeling of fear and trembling with his Empathic ability, which effectively silenced the shady characters, "What I do with my time and my servants is NONE of your concern! That I use them to help one of my business connections and suppliers, is also none of your concern! And if you think I will allow you to take possession of his belongings, which we both know full well would more than 100 times have covered the amount of money he owed you, you have another things coming.

"Now I would suggest you leave, and go tell your 'lord' that you have failed in your mission of acquiring his potion supplies and pray that he will be merciful with you, for I am telling you right now that the only reason I have not arrested you both is because you do not bear the mark, and have not yet committed a serious crime. If that ever changes, and I see you again, do not expect to be allowed to leave. Now, since this is still, for the next two hours, the property of Mr. Thatcher, you have no business being here and I'm sure he would like you to leave." Harry finished with a glare.

Realizing that this was a dismissal, they didn't even wait for Mr. Thatcher to agree with the intimidating man before them as they tucked tail and ran.

After they had made their hasty departure, Harry threw up a few magical locking charms and muttered, "Good riddance!"

He then cancelled his frightening mood and turned to Mr. Thatcher with a smile, "I'm sorry if I frightened you, William. I hope you will forgive me. But after a brief scan of their minds I realized that they were going to be using your supplies to help Voldemort, and I couldn't allow my major supplier to switch sides." he told the man with a grin.

"What was that, Mr. Potter?" William asked, still getting over the unnatural fear that had been surrounding him.

"The name's Harry, unless you'd rather me going back to calling you 'Mr. Thatcher'." Harry responded with a comforting smile.

William gave a weak grin of his own, "Of course not, Harry. That was just...well...very intimidating."

"That was the point." Harry chuckled, "It wouldn't have had the same effect if I would have sent out a feeling of warm fuzzies now would it."

"No...I guess it wouldn't." Mr. Thatcher responded, still not sure how he did it in the first place, but also unsure if he really wanted to know.

"So, are you even the remotely bit curious as to where all your stuff is going?" Harry asked with a mischievous grin.

William truly smiled this time, "Not really. I have full faith in you Harry." his smile waned slightly before he continued though, "You do know that they were right though, don't you? I wont be able to pay you for your help."

Harry waved him off, "No need. That's what friends are for. Shall we go over there and work out the details with the owner? I know for a fact that he'll charge you much less in rent than those buffoons did, and there's even a 3 bedroom apartment upstairs, so you can be close to work, and only have one rent to pay total."

"Really?" asked an astounded William.

"Yep. Shall we?" Harry asked as he held out his hand.

"Sounds good to me." William said as he grasped Harry's hand firmly to shake it, only to be flashed away, much to the surprise of the shopkeeper.

A split second later, when they appeared in the new shop, a shocked William asked, "What the hell was that!"

Harry laughed, "Sorry bout that, but I love to see people's reactions to it. That is a specialized form of travel that only I can do...well...kinda. It's 100 percent safe, and there are no possibilities of side effects."

"That was incredible!" William exclaimed.

Harry smiled at the man's enthusiasm, "Well, we should get this meeting underway, shouldn't we?"

"Um...ok. Where's the owner?" William asked.

"You're looking at him." Harry admitted with a grin that turned into a chuckle when he saw the dumbfounded expression on William's face.

* * *

Sitting in the unused classroom that they discovered during their first month of classes, the Gryffindor Outcasts, as the four first years had called themselves, sat around contemplating what their new role in the DA as members of the Castle Unit. 

"So basically you think that we'll be sneaking around the castle and hitting death eaters from the shadows and then running away?" asked Mae, who being the most Gryffindor of the bunch, thought that to be a very cowardly course of action.

"Not exactly." corrected Elgin, "From what the assistant-headmistress explained, we'll be as much decoys as attack groups. Our job will be to confuse the enemies that make it into the castle as much as taking them out of commission, as the main group with the headmaster goes after Riddle." explained Elgin.

"So, what you're saying is that we'll be using a divide and conquer mentality." the Raven-dor interjected, "We'll separate them into small, more manageable groups and lead them places that we've already set up to incapacitate them."

"To what?" asked Chris, who hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation.

"Booby traps." supplied Mae.

"Oh. Ok." The young Huffle-dor responded before returning his full attention to the racing broom catalogue he had recently received.

"I don't see how you could spend so much time flipping through catalogues when there's a war coming to our front steps!" Elgin chastised.

Christopher closed the book, and responded, "I didn't think that sitting around guessing at what we'd actually be doing was very productive either, especially when we have a meeting tonight, but you didn't hear me complaining." Though he had sorted into Hufflepuff, his Gryffindor brashness tended to shine through quite often when spending time away from his more timid housemates.

"He does have a point, El. We're not accomplishing much either. Maybe we should actually be following his lead and relaxing a bit this afternoon. Who knows what the staff will throw at us tonight." the young Raven-dor, Lisa, added, before picking up a book on muggle Airplanes that Mae had brought down earlier.

"Actually, if we wanted to do something productive, we could always start to figure out how we plan on getting to the room unnoticed tonight." offered Mae.

"Good idea, Mae!" Elgin offered.

"OF COURSE it's a good idea!" she said in a godly, omnipotent type voice, in an attempt to quote one of her favorite movies. Unfortunately her friends were, as usual, completely lost.

"What that some sort of muggle humour? Cause I'm a little lost here." Christopher admitted, earning him nods from the other two purebloods in the room.

"Oh never mind!" and exasperated Mae sighed, "Let's just get to work."

"No need my friend. No need." piped in Christopher with a satisfied grin on his face.

"And why's that?" inquired a curious Mae.

"I have a plan." the Huffle-dor told his mates.

"A good plan?" asked Elgin.

"A GREAT plan!" Chris told them, as he emphasized his words with hand gestures, "Here's what we do..."

* * *

After a short time in verbal negotiations, Harry and William quickly reached an agreement and Harry left to pick up his girlfriend with a promise to return within the next few days with a written contract. 

'Are you done yet love?' he asked Ginny mentally.

_Yep. I'm back at the mansion already actually. Once I got started, it didn't take me very long to finish._ She informed him, _Oh, and we're all waiting for you before we start the game._

'Game?' asked a confused Harry, 'What game?'

_You'll see. _She responded mysteriously. _Meet us in the Room of Requirement._

Needing no further prompting, Harry flashed directly to the hallway outside the room. When he opened the door, he was not totally prepared for the sight before him.

When she saw the door open, Ginny started her commentating.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Potter Mansion's first ever game of interactive Chutes and Ladders."

'That's what it is!' Harry thought to himself since he hadn't been able to place the 3 dimensional, man sized board upon entering. 'But wait a sec, those aren't game pieces!'

Upon closer inspection, Harry could see that the figures in the 'starting square' weren't game pieces at all, but fully dyed, skin and clothes, young men. The same young men whom Harry had left in the tender care of his girlfriend not more than a couple of hours ago. Each one was a different colour. Fred was red, George was orange, Bill was blue, Percy was pink and Charlie was charcoal, but all still had their telltale Weasley-red hair.

The game board was ten full stories high, hence the magical microphone Ginny was using, and the guys seemed to be trapped in there by a sheet of plexy-glass so that everyone else could see them, but also in their own man sized cage so that they couldn't escape.

"This is my little version of the popular muggle game, but this one will be used to teach a lesson." Ginny elaborated.

"What lesson would that be?" whispered Neville.

"The 'You should never mess with Ginny' lesson." Ron explained shaking his head, "It's a lesson I would have thought my brothers had learned already."

"Now aren't you glad you didn't go to your brother's shop this afternoon when they invited you?" asked Hermione in her best 'I-told-you-so' voice.

Ron snorted, but refused to answer verbal.

Ginny continued, "For those of you who don't know the rules I will give a quick synopsis. You five players," she began as she motioned towards Hermione, Ron, Athena, Neville and Demeter, "Will take turns rolling the dice. Once the dice is rolled, the 'piece' will be able to move the allotted number of spaces. Since the pieces are not here voluntarily, they will have...'motivation' to move to their destination as quickly as possible." she said with a smile.

"Is the audience ready?" Ginny asked the group in the bleachers, getting a cheer from those present. Harry could see Fleur, Tonks, Remus, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Lee, Luna's ghost and most of the original DA.

"Are the contestants ready?" she then asked the five friends, who were each wearing a t-shirt that matched one of the 'pieces', and who stood at the edge of a long table with borders so that the dice wouldn't fall off the sides.

Once the five of them cheered, Ginny announced, "Let the games begin!"

Hermione went first, taking the dice and throwing them the length of the table. The dice stopped rolling, displaying a 4 and a 3, at which point Bill's cage door disappeared.

Bill tentatively took a step out of the cage to look around and as he did this, the whole cage vanished. It was at that point that a loud roar could be heard from the wall to his right. When he turned to look, the wall began to rise, and he could see the paw of a large jungle cat swipe beneath it.

"I would suggest you run, Bill." Ginny told him, "That fury guy doesn't look to happy."

Bill's eyes went large as the wall began to raise a little more, and the tiger started to force its way through the opening. Deciding to take his vindictive little sister's advice, he ran. He ran down seven squares until he got to the end. He could hear the tiger running behind him now, and so leapt on the ladder that appeared above him and climbed up several flights. He could feel that the tiger was climbing behind him, a little slower, but he would eventually get to the top too, so Bill quickly jumped into the cage provided and slammed the door shut behind him.

Ginny explained to the crowd that the animals were actually illusions, and no harm would come to the pieces, but she didn't share that information with her brothers.

The game progressed like that for a while. Different animals appeared and chased them. Each turn, the squares would change to another theme: Jungle (complete with trees, vines, wild growth and insects), Desert (arid, extremely hot, cacti and scorpions) underwater (the pieces were able to breath as though they had eaten gillyweed, there were coral reefs, schools of fish, the odd piranha and of course the shark that was chasing them). Sometimes they even had a broom provided and had to fly through rocky areas. As this was a room of requirement, none of the squares was a fixed size and could be changed to meet Ginny's whim.

By the end of the game, each of the pieces were winded, scraped and bruised, having had to run form the imagined dangers. Neville had won the game with Charlie as his 'piece', Hermione was second with Bill, followed by Athena who was rolling for Fred, then Demeter who controlled Percy, and finally Ron who cast the dice for George.

All the players and spectators claimed that it was great fun to watch, and looked forward to the next time the brothers did something stupid to their sister so that they could enjoy it again.

As for the brothers, you could say that they finally learned their lesson.

* * *

Later that night, Harry entered DA common room, and began getting ready for the meeting that night with the Castle Units. 

As he was unfolding the door to his 'portable Room of Requirement', he noticed four small shimmers in the corner, which he knew to be the tell tale sign of a disillusionment charm, and by the size of the forms, it had to be his group of first year protégés.

'Resourceful bunch that one.' he thought with a grin.

_Who?_ Ginny sent back from her dorm room.

'The first years, they're already here and hiding under a disillusionment spell. I told you that they'd be good.' he responded.

_And I agreed with you. _She retorted, _It'll be interesting to see what they're like after we're gone._

'If they live that long.' Harry replied glumly.

_Harry! _Ginny chastised lovingly, _Don't think that way! You're doing everything in your power to prepare all of us for the battle a head. Have some faith in your students._

'I do.' he replied with a mental frown, 'But we both know that at least a few students will die during these battles. I just wish there were another way.'

_I know love. _She thought in a comforting tone, _Just remember that they're doing this voluntarily to make a stand just like you're doing. _

'I know. It's just...never mind. You're right. Now is not the time to mourn those who aren't even dead yet.' Harry responded mentally.

_Exactly._ She responded.

'Yeah...there'll be plenty of time to do that afterwards.' he thought to himself privately.

After the room was prepared, Harry sat and waited for all the teams to arrive.

As per his instructions, all the groups arrived by midnight. A couple of the groups arrived as early as 11pm, this wasn't including the 'Gryffindor outcasts' who had gotten to the DA common room right before curfew that night.

When asked why they had come that early, they responded that the best way to avoid getting caught breaking the rules, was to not break them. But getting to the DA common room early, they weren't going to get caught wandering the halls after curfew.

The members of the Mansion group were the only professors present for the meeting, and after the initial greetings had taken place, they got down to business.

Harry began the discussion by asking the groups what strategies they had used to evade capture to get here that night. One group told him that they used a combination of silencing and chameleon charms, another said they used an angle charm to see around corners, still another group admitted to using an infravision charm to better see in the dark in combination with a disillusionment charms. Other groups used different combinations of the ones already mentioned.

"Tonight you have already used some of the tactics that we will be teaching you here in the Castle Group meetings. Not only will we be working on attack and defense spells, but we'll also be focusing a lot of attention on concealment and evasion.

"I'm not going to lie to you. The group we will be fighting against is bigger and has a lot more experience than we do. In order to win this, we'll need to use every advantage we have. In our case, we have home pitch advantage. We know this castle, and so we know the best place to set up ambushes and the best escape routes when a situation gets beyond our control. Some of you might be shaking your heads, and saying 'No we don't. I've been here for a couple of years and I'm still getting lost on my way to classes.' Right now, I would agree with you. But once we're through with you, you will know this castle almost as well as we do, and that training begins tonight." Harry said as he made a head motion to Athena to hand each group a sheet of parchment.

Looking over their newly acquired blank sheets, one of the fifth year Slytherins asked, "What are we supposed to do with these, sir?" It was a genuine question, but in true Slytherin fashion, it did have a bite of sarcasm accompanying it.

"These are your maps. Take your wand, hold it against the parchment and say 'To serve and protect.' If you don't like the password, blame Hermione, she thought that it appropriate, as it is the motto of the American muggle police forces, or something like that." Harry explained.

Most of the assembled students nodded in agreement before trying the password out for themselves. Soon after, gasps and 'wow's could be heard throughout the room. Each group was given a version of the marauder's map.

"This is an 85 percent complete map of Hogwarts: 100 percent of its used corridors and classrooms, and about 60 of all its hidden passages and forgotten corners. We decided to keep a couple of things a mystery for you to discover on your own in the next few years. The passages on the map are the most useful of the bunch, and will definitely help you with tonight's exercise." Ron told them.

"Another feature we should mention is that empty box you see at the top of the map. This is a message board of sorts. If the headmaster, or any heads of houses, have a message for you, they have the ability to post a message is that box. Be sure to check it every time you open." Neville interjected.

Harry then addressed the group again, "Your mission for tonight is as follows. Thanks to some hard work from the staff, we have a bit of a scavenger hunt for you to accomplish. Hermione?"

"You will all be given a list of locations inside Hogwarts. Each group will have these locations in a different order so that you don't try to follow one and other. At each of these locations you will find a letter painted on the wall. These letters will be hidden with magic, and you will need to cast a revealing charm before you are able to read it. Do not try to obscure the letter so that following groups will not be able to see it, do not attempt to lead other groups astray. Think of this as a drill. Each group is responsible for themselves, and themselves alone. We want to see how well you work together, and how quickly you can navigate through the school." Hermione explained.

Harry continued, "But of course, we couldn't make it that easy. There will be obstacles. The staff members that you see before you will be patrolling the halls of the school. They will NOT have copies of the map, but they do have the list of the room you are supposed to visit and may decide to stake them out. Some of the rooms will also have...challenges you'll need to face before, or while you are collecting the letters. Remain alert, attentive, and above all cautious. If you are caught by a member of the DA staff, you will return here immediately. If you are caught by one of Hogwarts' staff members or Mr. Filch, then you'll probably get detentions and point deductions, so stealth is of primary importance."

"If at any time you feel that you can no longer continue for whatever reason, injury, exhaustion, or other, you are to return here and wait for the other groups." Ginny added.

"Right. Almost forgot about that." Harry grinned, "You also have a time limit. You are to be back in this room by no later than 5 am. That gives you 4 hours to complete this. Are there any questions?"

"Are there any restrictions on what tools we can use, or spells?" asked on of the older Slytherins.

"No unforgivables. Other than that, everything is allowed, though I wouldn't recommend attacking one of the Hogwarts' staff members should they find you. They don't like that very much." Harry added with a chuckle.

"Can we attack the DA Staff?" asked another.

"I would expect no less. The only offensive spells you'll be able to cast in a duel against a DA staff member is the disarming curse and stupify and any defensive spells you can think of. You are both allowed and encouraged to fight back and attempt to incapacitate your opponents. Do not attack other groups though. You're all on the same team, just accomplishing similar missions. If I see anyone cheating in such a manner, I will disqualify you. You will be obliviated, and you will be reassigned to either the land unit or the air unit. And I will see if you do, you can count on that." Harry paused before continuing, "Are there any other questions? No? Good luck. You may begin when the clock chimes 1am, so you have 15 minutes or so to prepare. I would suggest studying the map, and planning a route."

At 1 am the groups were off and Harry flashed himself up to Godric's office to keep a close eye on the proceedings. With such a large map, and so few people wandering the halls at this hour so he was able to keep an eye on them all very easily.

Most groups did well enough in the end. None got to less than 6 of the 10 destinations before getting caught by a DA staff member. One of the group was unfortunate enough to be captured by Filch, after a fight with a rather large spider Harry had conjured in one of the rooms. Filch had accused them of dueling after hours and brought them to the nearest head of house, who happened to be professor Flitwick. As kindly as the diminutive man was, he apparently didn't like having to be woken up at 3 in the morning and ended up sentencing the offenders to 2 weeks of detention each. Luckily they had hidden the map, and it was not discovered by either teacher or custodian.

Other rooms had other obstacles. Taking a couple of notes from Ginny's punishment of her brothers, Harry had one room completely submerged in water, and the group had to find the spot where the letter had been written. Another room was a gladiatorial arena, with a Minotaur there waiting for them clad in mismatching pieces of armour and wielding one of the biggest swords the students had ever seen. Another was a jungle setting, complete with a small trip of pigmies who attacked the students with blowguns whose darts put the students to sleep if they were hit with enough.

All in all, it was a challenge. Only one team completed the whole mission, and that was a group of fifth and seventh years. The big surprise was the first year group who made it to 8 of the 10 before being taken down by both Blaise and Athena, who had to work together to do it.

After they were all back, and healed up, Harry debriefed all the teams. They did very much as they had at the beginning of the class and talked about the different tactics used, which ones worked best, which ones worked worse, and why. After an hour or so of that, Harry changed the room into a large dormitory with enough beds for all the team members, and told them to get some rest. He explain that this room could, for a short while, speed up time when you were in it, and so they'd be able to get at least 6 or 7 hours sleep before 7 am came about and then they could either head back to their dorm rooms, or down for breakfast. It was Sunday after all, so they could catch up on some missed sleep then.

* * *

Time passed quickly after that night. The students in the know went about their preparations, and the DA practiced and studied diligently. The Mansion group was able to keep the spy out of the loop despite his multiple attempts to gather information from them and other members of the club. 

Before anyone knew it, it was the weekend before the attack. The mansion group was sitting in the lounge at Potter mansion, and trying to relax a bit as this was probably going to be one of the last times they'd be able to before the battle.

Harry, however, couldn't rest. His mind was working a mile a minute as he mentally went through the checklist in his head to make sure that everything was ready before the attack.

'New wards and anti dementor shields? - check. Medics and first aid gear? - check. Tactics and attack plans? - check. Guerilla units properly outfitted (portkeys, smoke bombs, maps, etc)? - check. Air units ready? - check. Main group's portkeys made and distributed?- check...'

_Harry! Calm down._ Ginny told him. _We are all ready. We've already gone through your checklist twice as a group._

'Third time's a charm though, right?' he sent back in a defeated tone, 'I can't help it. I just feel as though I've forgotten something.'

_You've done all you can. You need to rest now for a bit. _Ginny said in an attempt to calm him a bit. _There's nothing left to do but wait._

'You're almost right.' he sent back, suddenly realizing what he had forgotten, 'We are ready, but there is still one more thing I have to do.'

"I'll be right back guys." Harry told the assembled group as he got up from his chair.

"Where ya going?" asked Ron.

"I have to make a couple of visits. I'll be back tomorrow." he told them, taking into consideration that what will only be taking him a few hours in the outside world, will seem like a full day in here to his resting friends.

"Want some company?" Ginny asked halfheartedly. She wanted to be supportive, but at the same time, she was wiped out and really needed the break.

"No. That's ok Gin. You rest. I'll be fine." he told her, before giving her a quick kiss.

Harry then changed into his Lord Gryffindor persona, and flashed out of the lounge.

"I hate it when he does that." Ron mumbled, "He always makes the impossible look so easy."

* * *

Harry appeared in a clearing within the Forbidden Forest and began to walk around. 

Ten minutes later, Harry had had enough, "I know you're there. I would ask you to show me enough respect to not spy on me, and face me directly if you have questions or concerns."

"My apologies, Lord Gryffindor." an elderly centaur said as he came out from behind the bushes, "It would appear that I am not as stealthy as I once was. Nor as courteous. Please accept my apologies."

Harry was pleased to see that the warning had given on his last visit had been taken seriously, and that they now recognized him for who he truly was.

"Your apologies are accepted, though I will not forgive the other four unless they too come out and ask for it." With his empathic abilities, Harry could almost see the tension rolling off the other four figures in the bushes surrounding him.

The elderly centaur motioned for the others to come out, before giving Harry a small bow of apology, "This, again, is of my doing. They are my guards, and were told to remain unseen as I spoke with you today."

"You knew of my coming than?" Harry asked, without letting his surprise show.

"Yes, young master, the stars told us of your arrival several nights ago." the centaur admitted.

"Than you also know why I have come." Harry told more than asked him.

"Yes we do. Mars burns brightly, and in one weeks time it will completely over shadow Jupiter." (1)

Harry nodded, "Yes. That is the reason. War is coming to Hogwarts."

"And what is it you ask of us, young lord?" the centaur asked, in an almost challenging voice.

"All I ask is that you and your brethren remain hidden throughout the battle. I have come to warn you of the coming attack and nothing more, though I should have realized that you knew of it already. I apologize for my lack of faith in your abilities to read the heavens." Harry said as he inclined his head in a form of apology.

"No offense taken, lord Gryffindor, though I admit at being surprised. Why is it that you do not order us to aid in the castle's defense? That is the reason your forefather had invited us to this land in the first place after all." the elder inquired.

Harry answered him honestly, "I would welcome your aid if it were offered, but I will not command you to do anything, even if it is within his power as Lord of this forest to do so. You are a sentient race, and you are more than capable of making decisions like this on your own. I am not as in touch with the lives and needs of the creatures in my forest as I would like to be, and so at this point, you know what is best for your herd, not I. Whatever the reason for my ancestor's original invitation, this has become your home as much as it is now mine. I seek only to insure the safety of all those who dwell in these lands to the best of my ability. That is all."

To say that the Elder and his guards were impressed and a tad shocked would have been an understatement.

"It is a rare occurrence that one of your kind treats us in this manner, as equals, especially one so young. We thank you for the warning, but I would not count on our aid in this coming conflict." The elder responded after some thinking.

"That does not matter to me at this point. My only concern is the safety of those on my lands, and so, in my care. I know that you can defend yourselves, which is why I have not offered to help you in that respect." Harry answered.

"You are truly a caring leader, young Gryffindor. I will discuss this matter with the whole of the tribe, and then consult the stars for their advice. If the heavens call us to battle, we may yet be seen fighting at your side. But it would be wise not to count on that outcome." The old centaur told the young human, much to the surprise of his guards.

Harry bowed in thanks and goodbye, "I have accomplished all I have come to do. May the heavens smile on you and your herd."

"And may they tell of good fortune for yours." The elder responded with a smile in the traditional centaur farewell, before bowing, and leaving the young man standing alone in the clearing.

Harry was now very thankful that he had spent those hours after his first visit in the library reading over all known customs and traditions of this proud people.

Harry proceeded to make a couple more stops in order to warn the unicorn herd and the Acrumantulas. As with the centaurs, he asked them not to get involved, as this was not yet their fight yet, but that if they wanted to assist, they were more than welcome to do so. He told them that it would more likely than not be the Dementors that came through the forest, and so they would be better off avoiding that section of the woods all together for the days preceding the attack for their own safety.

Harry then made his way towards the lake. Once there, he jumped in the water and transformed into his Hippocampus form, and swam down to warn the Merpeople of the impending attack as well. That visit went quickly as well, and without incident.

After his final visit, Harry thought of the visits he had just made, and thought to himself, 'Besides, I don't think this will be the final battle, and I have a feeling I will be needed all the help and allies I'll be able to get before this war is finished if we are to be victorious.'

* * *

"Witches and Wizards, boys and girls, welcome to the last match of this year's quidditch season here at Hogwarts." the third year Gryffindor announced. 

The crowd started cheering, though if one listened closely, only less than half of the cheering was genuine excitement.

"In this corner, weighing in at a combined total of..."

"Hooper!" McGonagall interjected.

"Sorry professor, just thought I'd try something new." the announcer admitted before continuing, "Flying for Ravenclaw, we have Whistle, Corner, Quirke, Lobowski, Bradley, Boot and Captain Chang!" the cheering from the Ravenclaw section wasn't as loud as usual, but with everyone's attention divided, it could hardly be helped.

As Hooper announced the lineup for the Ravenclaws, the Gryffindor players were looking out into the stands.

"Where's Justin?" asked Ron as he scanned the crowd, "I thought Blaise and Demeter were going to sit by him."

_I'm listening in on Demeter and Hermione, they can't find him. _Ginny sent Harry, _They can't find any of the junior Death nibblers either. They must have had orders to stay in the castle._

Harry sighed, 'We can't do anything about it now. This doesn't change anything though, so let's just stick to the plan and trust in that.' he sent back.

"Malfoy and his group is missing too." Athena pointed out.

"Ron! Send a quick message to all the Castle Unit maps telling them that any Hogwarts student they see in the castle is a hostile. I don't want any mistakes. Tell them to first use stunners to get them, but if they fight back using lethal force, they should do the same. Understood?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded in understanding, and took out his map immediately to send the message.

"Right. This is the big one people! Not only on the pitch, but off and around it afterwards. You know your jobs, and I know you can do it. So let's go out there and show them what TRUE Gryffindors are made of! We will be VITORIOUS!" Harry shouted to the other members of the quidditch team, which earned him a loud cheer. Usually it's the Captain's job to motivate the players, but as Ron was a little busy, Harry decided to help out a bit.

"And now for your Gryffindor Lions! Weasley, Bell, Granger, Longbottom, Kirke, Weasley aaaaand POTTER!"

The Gryffindors flew out amidst the cheers. They each knew their jobs. Harry, Ginny, were to grab Ron, Athena and Neville and flash them to the meeting place where Hermione, Blaise and Demeter would be waiting for them after having activated their portkeys. From there, they would go to Godric's office and figure out an attack strategy based on the location of the Death Eaters.

The D.A. Ground Units, after putting up anti-demetor wards that Ginny and Hermione have been working on, would go around and hand out portkeys to all the students who were not fighting which would send them to the atrium at the Ministry. Once all the innocents were gone, the D.A. would do the same as soon as the aurors arrived to take over the outer defenses.

The Air Squads would provide cover fire for the Ground Units to get their job done, and as soon as the Aurors arrived, they too were to activate their portkeys.

The Castle Units had their own special portkeys that would bring them to secret rooms all over the castle where they would open their maps and start their offensive. As soon as any one member of a team was injured, they were to activate their second portkey which would take them directly to St. Mungo's. No team was to operate short a member, so one goes down, the whole team evacuates.

Taking a deep breath, Harry returned his focus to the game.

The captains shook hands and the players took their position.

Harry hovered alongside Cho Chang as they waited for the whistle, "You ready for this Cho?"

"The game? Or the attack?" she asked, clutching her broom handle a little tighter.

"Both." he grinned, which set her a bit more at ease, "You're the best one we have on a broom, Cho. I've seen you in practice, you'll be great. Plus you're a natural leader. Just go out there and do what you've been preparing for, and you'll be fine." Harry encouraged.

"You used up your good speech in the locker room didn't you?" she retorted.

He shrugged, "Ya. Sorry bout that." he admitted with a grin.

Cho snorted, "Thanks anyways, Harry."

Just then, the whistle blew.

"See you after the game Cho." Harry told her as he zoomed off.

"Not if I see you first!" she shouted back good naturedly before speeding off in the other direction.

"Gryffindor has the quaffle. It's Weasley to Granger, back to Weasley, Shoots...SCORES! 10 nothing Gryffindor." announced Hooper.

No sooner had the news of Ginny's goal reached his ears, then Harry saw the snitch down near the ground at center pitch, and took off like a bat out of hell. He weaved through the attacking Ravenclaw chasers, before finally closing his hand on the golden winged ball. From whistle to whistle, the game had taken a minute and a half to play, and a good thing too.

The sound of the cheering for the Gryffindor win was exactly what the enemy had been waiting for as the dementors started surrounding the field.

Everyone in the stands were still cheering, but the cheering slowly died as the assembled masses began to feel the temperature dropping. It was at that point that the first of the children screamed as she pointed frantically to the forest were the largest group of dementors they had ever seen was descending upon them.

Harry quickly amplified his voice and shouted, "Air squad, in the air! Ground group, set up a perimeter and raise those anti-dementor wards. Order members, anyone who can, cast patroni and drive them back, castle unit? We're going hunting!" he concluded before muting his voice again.

On his way over to the Gryffindor hoops to pick up Ron, Harry muttered solemnly to himself, "Let the games begin."

* * *

**AN:** (1) knowing nothing of astronomy, I have no idea if it's even possible for Mars to block out Jupiter, let alone if it happened in that year. I chose Jupiter as he was the roman god of light, and head of the Roman Pantheon. I figured it would be more symbolic as the war was coming to the head of the light, Dumbledore (or Harry depending how you look at it) himself. 

Good day my fellow readers and Harry Potter fanficfans. Tis I, Farfumsane, returned from the...well...not grave, but you know what I mean. I'm back. I have had a wonderful month and change (or has it been two months now?) since I last posted. I'm now a married man, and enjoying every minute of it. I figured I'd do my best to have this latest chapter up for this Canada Day long weekend in order to celebrate my great country, those of you who are American, pretend I did it for Independence Day...and those of you with b-days at the beginning of July...Happy Birthday :D this one's for you.

I'm working full time now, so my posts might be a little farther apart than they used to be, but don't worry, there's only 2 or 3 more chapters left anyways, and I should be done long before the summer's over, hopefully even having started the next one. :)

I hope you enjoyed the read, and sorry for all the mistakes and grammatical errors you must have found in here. As soon as my editors get it back to me, I'll be reposting this so as to eliminate the errors herein.

Thanks for stickin' around.

Farfumsane.


	52. Hogwarts Hostilities

**Disclaimer:** I know that it's been a while since I last updated, but even during my prolonged absence I was not successful in acquiring the rights and ownership to Harry Potter or the world in which he lives, and so I say again, with a little less originality than I have in the past, that I do not own any of this, and I am merely enjoying the world that JK provided for us to frolic in.

**Chap 51: Hogwarts Hostilities **

As soon as Harry appeared with Ron in Godric's office, the group got down to business.

Everyone knew their task, and so without any prompting, people started moving. Ginny changed into her battle robes and gathered her weapons. Hermione grabbed her bag of potions and medical equipment, as did Demeter. Athena and Neville went straight over to their Dragon Hide cloaks and put them on while Blaise secured his invisibility cloak around his neck and made sure he had all his things. On the other side of the room, next to Ron, Harry mentally changed his Robe of Gryffindor from quidditch seeker robes to black battle ones, as he studied the map on the wall to get a better idea of what was going on in the school. Each member of the Mansion Group also had their own copy of the Marauders' map on them too. Harry had insisted on it as they weren't always going to be together, and he wanted each of them to have access to this tool as it could very well save their lives.

In short, Godric's office was a flurry of activity.

After donning his battle robes, Ron stepped up to the map as well, "We have a group of about a dozen, led by Tom Riddle, coming through the Chamber." he told them as he pointed to the spot on the map, "Harry, you need to ask Hogwarts to direct them to the Great Hall."

Harry nodded in agreement, and closed his eyes. As he sent out a silent plea to the school for help, Hogwarts began to shift stair cases, obscure hall ways, and even made some walls appear where before there were none, in order to coral Voldemort and his followers into the ambush.

"We have about seven minutes before they get there, Harry. The Castle Group better use their portkeys soon, or we wont have enough time to get to our starting point for the attack." After a slight pause, and intensive study of the map, he continued, "OK. They're all in position. Let's get going!"

Each member of the Mansion Crew, save Neville who had his own means of transportation, grabbed either Harry or Ginny, and were instantly transported, by either fire, smoke, or in Neville's case teleportation, to the great Hall were the eight had planned to make their stand.

* * *

"My Lord!" one of the Death Eaters exclaimed, "It would appear that the Castle is working against us and leading us to a specific location!" 

"CRUCIO!" The Dark Lord exclaimed, causing the 'observant' Death Eater to collapse on the ground, as he writhed in pain, "Do you think me thick? Or perhaps a little slow? I am NOT as dim as you! Now GET UP! If we weren't in the middle of an attack, I would have killed you for your assumption that something so blatantly apparent had escaped my notice! During this amazing revelation of yours, did you not even stop to notice that the castle was leading us to the very place that we were planning on heading? Did you not stop to think that perhaps it was doing so at MY request as I am the Heir of Slytherin, one of the founders of this castle? Now Silence! If I ever require your opinion again in the future, I shall give it to you!"

The nameless Death Eater struggled to his feet and made his way to the back of the group, in hopes that he would escape His Lord's notice for the rest of the battle.

At the same time, the Dark Lord himself was lost in thought, 'Despite my bluff, this is not my doing, but it is not like I would be admitting that to these simpletons anytime soon. How did anyone find out about my assault? Dumbledore! What are you up to!'

Amendments to Lord Voldemort's carefully made plans were already underway to compensate for this possible ambush.

"Malfoy!" the Dark Lord stated after several more steps.

"Yes my Lord?" as the bleached blond sycophant replied.

"You, my apprentice, have the honour of leading the first assault on the Great Hall." Voldemort told the boy, "Do not fail me!"

"Of course my Lord! Thank you, my Lord!" the young man answered, as he deepened his bow.

'That should be enough to spring any trap that the old muggle loving fool will have in place, leaving me a clear path to claim victory. There is only one way that the old man could have figured out what was going to happen today. Either Malfoy let it slip at the wrong time, or one of the students under his charge did. Either way, he is responsible, and I think that this is a fitting form or retribution.' Voldemort thought as he sneered at the back of Draco Malfoy's head, 'Besides, his father was a failure, and despite his gifts and abilities, this one has shown me nothing this year but that he is of the exact same stock. Youth these days just don't know their place."

* * *

The cold on the quidditch pitch continued to increase as swarms of dementors made their way towards the students still assembled there. 

"PLEASE REMAIN SEATED AND CALM." the Headmaster yelled with the help of a sonorous charm, "EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL. WILL THE MEMBERS OF THE D.A. PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE PITCH LEVEL."

Albus Dumbledore had no sooner cancelled the sonorous charm on himself, than he was assaulted by questions from frantic members of his staff.

"Headmaster!" cried Professor Vector, one of the non-Phoenix members of the staff, "What should we do?" the woman asked as she nervously clutched her wand.

"We're surrounded! Why didn't you tell the students to run? They might have had a chance than!" chimed in professor Hill, the muggle studies professor.

"Do not fear, my dear Professors. We have the situation well under control." the Headmaster assured them confidently.

As soon as the Headmaster finished assuring his staff, the ground troop, led by some of the original D.A. members, got up a brilliant translucent white shield up that covered the whole of the pitch, stands included.

The dementors, not having seen anything like this before, continued forward without hesitation. It wasn't until one of them tried to touch it that there was any reaction.

The constant din of conversation that was taking place beneath the shield was silenced as an ear-piercing cry sliced through the pitch.

"What was that, Albus?" asked McGonagall.

"My assumption would be that that was one of the dementors. The shield must have worked exactly as Harry had told me it would." the elderly man stated proudly, with a twinkle in his eye.

"The patronus shield is firmly in place, sir." Terry Boot said to the assembled professors as soon as he made it into their box. As assistant-head of strategy, Terry was placed in charge of the ground troops, and it was also his job to inform the headmaster of a safe time to get the children, and non-combat staff, to portkey out of the engagement zone.

The ground troops not holding the shield, and the air unit made their way down to the pitch, and began to get into attack formation. The milky white nature of the shield was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing in that the Death eaters, and whoever else was attacking from the outside, would not know that most of the students had been evacuated, and that the ones that had stayed were ready for them, but it was a curse in that the people on the interior had no idea how many people/creatures they'd be facing off against once the shield fell.

"Excellent, Mr. Boot," the headmaster praised, "Please begin to have everyone who isn't staying activate their portkeys."

"Yes sir." Terry acknowledged with a quick bow. As soon as he reached the bottom, he reached pitch level, he sent off the dozen runners waiting there to the different towers to instruct the spectators there on how to activate their ticket to safety.

'Everything's going smoothly out here, Harry, I just hope the same can be said in there.' the Ravenclaw thought to himself as he watched his runners head off to their destinations.

* * *

Once all the preparations in the Great Hall had been made, Ginny let her mind roam outside to see how things out there were fairing. 

'_According to Terry, everything's running smoothly outside, Harry.'_ Ginny assured her boyfriend mentally.

'That's good to know.' Harry responded, genuinely relieved, before looking down and tensing up, "Be ready everyone! According to the map, they're just outside the door." he yelled to the rest of the mansion group. He wasn't sure exactly why Tom would have Draco leading the first assault, unless he liked the blond prissy aristocrat as much as Harry did and was hoping he would meet his fate in 'glorious battle' instead of just killing him outright.

One of the many spells that Harry had put on the doorway before the fight was a powerful wandless sound barrier. With the Map, Harry wouldn't have to hear what was going on the other side, but this way, he could yell out instructions before the fight hit without worrying about giving anything away.

The mansion group was spread out around the room in strategic locations. Hermione and Ron were in one corner, Demeter and Neville in another, and Athena was off to one side alone, but all of them were well protected. Blaise had a bit of a different role, as he was a floater with an invisibility cloak. His job was to slip in behind if at all possible and take a group down from the inside. Harry and Ginny, the first ones the opponents would see which set them up as the main target, were behind the head table, which had been reinforced and transfigured by Harry into marble, the most magical resistant rock in existence, for extra protection.

Suddenly, Draco Malfoy burst into the room, followed by half a dozen other death eaters, to see Harry behind the head table, which had been turned on its side. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have a chance to see much more, let alone where all the others had been positioned, before a myriad of spells came whizzing at him from every angle.

Once all of the black robed individuals had fallen, Harry looked them over and noticing that the door had slammed shut again, called out: "Everyone alright?"

His question was answered in the affirmative by all.

"Good to hear! That was only the first wave, according to the map, there are more..."

But whatever else Harry was about to say was drowned out by a near deafening boom as the two doors to the Great Hall exploded in a shower of splinters and shards of wood.

The Mansion Group started sending spells at the doorway in hopes of hitting an enemy or two despite their obscured vision, but once the dust settled, all they saw was a large marble wall.

Harry first put away the map and then made a motion for his friends to get ready. Once they nodded, Harry stood up, "Voldemort! Why don't you come out and fight! You and me, right now! Let's end this." Harry said with more confidence than he actually had.

"Harry Potter! This should be fun. I was hoping to defeat Dumbledore once and for all today, but your death will serve the same purpose. It will show once and for all that I AM the most powerful of all wizards!! Prepare to die young one!" the voice, that seemed to come from all over responded.

Feeling something behind him, Harry dove right at the last second to narrowly avoid a sickly green blast of magic that had come from Voldemort's wand. The spell slammed into the stone wall, causing part of it to explode. This, in turn, sent Ginny flying off to one side. She quickly scrambled for cover, as many other spells started flying at her from the doorway.

Seeing their friends' plight, the rest of the Mansion group felt useless since they could do nothing to help their leader, as they were currently facing problems of their own. The marble wall had shrunk to chest height, and death eaters were providing cover fire for their Lord.

"You're fast Potter, but are you fast enough?" the Dark Lord taunted as he sent spell after spell at Harry, not giving the boy a chance to set up a proper defensive, let alone a counter attack, "Or maybe I should start sending spells at your little lady friend over there." he continued to taunt, motioning towards Ginny, who was within his line of sight as she sent spells back at the Deatheaters behind the marble barrier.

Having no other option, Harry flashed to right in front of Ginny, hoping to throw Tom off a bit, and get a chance to take the offensive.

Temporarily disorientated with his opponent's sudden disappearance, Tom Riddle was taken by surprise as a newly reappeared Harry Potter started to return the favour, sending spell after spell at the self proclaimed dark lord.

Ginny, seeing that Harry's back was now turned to the Deatheaters at the front door, focused primarily on covering Harry from their spells, and gave up all together attempting to return fire.

"How did you do that Potter?!" Voldemort yelled in rage as he threw up a shield, just in time to block Harry's latest spell, a cutting curse.

"It's just one of the many little tricks I picked up this past year in my preparations for this moment." Harry vaguely explained as he wordlessly continued to send offensive spells at Voldemort with both his wand and Godric's too, completely unaware of the spells that would be hitting him square in the back had Ginny not been there to work with him.

Making a quick decision, Voldemort silently cast a spell to turn his wand into a staff as he continued to parry and dodge his attacker's offensive. The furor of Harry's onslaught had taken him by surprise, and he needed some time to come up with an effective attack plan before facing him again, so he held the staff over his head and shouted.

"ARCANUS LABYRINTHUS" (1)

Suddenly, walls shot up all around the Great Hall transforming it into a giant maze.

* * *

_What the?'_ asked Ginny mentally. 

'That was the Maze spell I used back in Diagon Alley the night I got my tattoo.' Harry responded in kind, 'Tom must have been spying on his followers and seen me use it.' Harry was a little more worried than he allowed himself to show.

The spell in question was very rare, and for a caster to learn it, they needed to study the spell at length. Even with his advanced learning and magical abilities, he wasn't able to cast one this big for a good week after he started studying it. That meant that Voldemort must have a copy of the text that the spell came from, and thinking back to that book, Harry was more than a little worried to find out which other spells the dark lord might have picked up from that volume.

'_Why aren't we together?'_ the mental voice asked him, _'You were standing just in front of me.'_

'It's another part of the spells design. It was designed to split up a team of people so that they could get more practice with one on one battles and search and rescue. So unless two people are touching, a wall will appear between them, and even then, one of the two people who are touching will be injured fifty percent of the time, causing a handicap for the pair.' Harry explained mentally.

'_So we're not that far apart in space? It didn't transport us to a different spot in the room?'_ she asked in clarification.

'No, it doesn't transport you, and yes, we're close together. But I still have no idea how to find you.' Harry admitted.

'_Have you tried flaming?'_ she asked.

'That wont work, I have no idea what the area around you looks like.' Harry retorted.

'_Do you really think that Fawkes has been everywhere Professor Dumbledore has been? Yet he always appears right beside him.' _she pointed out. _'We...um...have a link of a kind too. Maybe you can use that to flame here?'_ she reminded him, with some hesitation.

'Why didn't I think of that? I'll see what I can do. Let me know when you're ready.' he sent her.

After a couple of seconds and no reply, he asked her again, 'Gin? You ready?'

When no answer came, Harry knew something was wrong, and suddenly disappeared in a flash of flame.

"Say goodbye, Weaslette." were the first words Harry heard when he rematerialized. Looking up, he saw the back of Malfoy's blond head as he stood over Ginny's bloodied and crumpled body with his wand pointed at her and his mind flashed back to a similar sight earlier this summer as the Deatheater stood mockingly over Luna.

"Avada..." but Draco Malfoy didn't get to finish that spell as his internal alarms started going nuts and so, trusting in his instincts, he dove to the right as an angry red beam of magic went flying through the area where he had been standing.

"You're dead Malfoy." Harry whispered gravely, just loud enough for the boy in question to hear him.

"I've been looking forward to this all year. Let's see what you got, Potter." the Malfoy heir sneered as he silently threw up a shield that easily deflected Harry's latest spell.

And show him he did. Harry started out with relatively simple spells in comparison to what he actually knew. A few wand based stunners and blasting hexes. And for a while, he managed to keep Malfoy on his toes, but as Malfoy caught his bearings, he brought the whole thing up a notch.

"CRUCIO!" yelled out the blond headed aristocrat, catching Harry off guard.

"AHH!" yelled Harry, before mustering up enough strength to transfigure a pebble into a stone wall before him to cut off the spell.

"So the great Harry Potter isn't untouchable after all." sneered the Head of the Malfoy family, before throwing several blasting hexes at the stone wall in front of him causing it to explode in a shower of debris and dust.

When the dust finally cleared, Malfoy in a state of shock when all he saw on the ground was the fallen form of Bellatrix Lestrange, reaching out to him with one hand while nursing a broken arm, "Draco, h..help me..."

"Auntie Bella?" Draco asked in disbelief, as he slowly lowered his wand.

"Nope!" his 'Auntie' said before lifting 'her' other hand, the one he thought looked broken, and started shouting, "Diffindo! Adfligo!(2)" and many other spells that caused Draco to quickly take the defensive.

As Harry threw the his spells, he slowly morphed back into his normal forms, which confused Draco until he clued in on what was actually going on.

Once the Slytherin had sure footing again he started to return a few spells and sneered, "So, Potter, a Metamorph too? I'm impressed. Who'd of thought a half-blood like you would be so magically gifted."

Now it was Harry's turn to sneer. He sent off another wordless cutting spell and said, "You should ask Voldemort how gifted a half blood can be. After all, he is one."

"LIAR!" the head of the Malfoy family retorted in defense of his Lord as he dodged Harry's curse, "He is the heir of Slytherin! Diffindo! He is pure!" he yelled between spells.

"Protego! Is that so? Than how is it that his last name is Riddle? Stupefy! Not a very pure blood name now is it?" Harry continued to taunt, while letting off a couple of silent spells.

"Riddle? Protego! Why do I know that name." Draco muttered to himself, as he defended against Harry's spells.

"You should remember. I know for a fact Filch made you polish it more than once the 'muggle way'." Harry replied as he quickly transfigured some debris into a wall of rock in front of him.

"That's right!Special services to the school." Draco snorted, "I highly doubt my Lord would do anything to help this muggle-loving school. Reducto!" he sent at Harry's wall, blasting a chuck of it off, before transfiguring one of his own just in time to intercept on of Harry's bludgeoning curses.

"He would if it saved his own arse in the process. Not to mention framed an innocent Gryffindor. Does that sound more like him now? Maximus Reducto!" Harry's spell did a lot more damage to Malfoy's wall, causing it to shatter into a million pieces, and sending the blond young man flying back a good ten feet in the process.

Seeing his chance, Harry quickly brought his cloak up close to him again and disillusioned himself, after which, he silently flashed to the other side of his opponent.

After landing, Draco quickly got up and started sending various spells down the hallway were his adversary had last been seen. When he saw that none of his spells hit anything but wall, he became annoyed.

"Come out and fight Potter! Or your precious whore gets a green bolt to the head!" Draco yelled as he placed his back to the wall, and started to make his way over to the prone form of the youngest Weasley.

Suddenly, a spell came flying at him from the direction opposite than what he had been waiting for, which severed his wand arm at the shoulder.

"I knew that would get your attention." Draco said with a pain suppressing chuckle, "My Lord will be more than able and willing to fix this when I bring him your dead body!" he yelled as he threw out some wandless spells with his off hand which caught Harry completely off guard.

Due to the suddeness of Draco's attack, Harry didn't have time to erect any shields and was thrown up against he wall, his hood was knocked off his head in the process, revealing his exact location, as he slid down the wall in obvious pain.

Wasting no time with continued taunts, Malfoy cast multiple bludgeoning hexes at his target. Some were blocked, and some weren't, leaving behind a very battered, bruised and tired looking Harry Potter.

"What a disappointment." yawned Malfoy as he briefly bend down to pick up his wand with his left hand in order to cast the final spell. "And here I thought you'd actually give me a good fight, Potter...Potter?" he had only taken his eyes off his target for a split second, but when he looked up, the sight of his fallen enemy that he expected to see was not there, much to his confusion. His confusion only increased when the tip of a sword suddenly protruded from his stomach.

Draco's eyes glazed over as life left his body, and he fell to the ground, dead.

Harry pulled his sword from the corpse without a word, wiped its blade on its victim robe before resheething it and bending down to take the invisibility cloak Malfoy had been using.

No words were said. None needed saying.

He then turned to the fallen form of his love, and holding her hand he tried to flame them directly to the Hospital wing, but the maze spell they were under wouldn't allow him to flame out of the maze, just within it. Instead, he transformed fully into his phoenix form and wept bitterly, spraying a large amount of tears all over her battered body which closed the more serious wounds, and completely healed the lesser ones. Before leaving, he force fed her a few potions to help with blood loss and pain before moving her off to a corner, casting several concealing and disillusionment charms and lying Malfoy's invisibility cloak over her for added insurance.

Harry then used his metamorph abilities to heal himself as best he could. Thought the small cuts and bruises were healed, he could do nothing about the physical and magical drain he had experienced during the duel.

He really didn't think that after his fight with Draco that he wouldn't have enough in him to face off against Voldemort, but he had to try. Transforming into his kneazle form, he went off in search of the cause of all this.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Ron asked, as he helped his girlfriend up from the floor. 

"I'm fine." Hermione responded, "What happened?"

"You were thrown to the ground by this wall when it shot up. It's a good thing we were holding hands, if not, you could have landed a lot harder." he responded as he looked around before taking out his copy of the map.

"Thanks Ron." she said with a smile as she cast a quick diagnostic charm on herself.

"It looks like we're still in the Great Hall." Ron stated while still looking at the map he had just activated.

"This must be the maze spell Harry told us about. I wonder how Voldemort got a hold of it." the bushy haired girl pondered.

"The walls aren't showing up on here." Ron said in frustration, "We're walking blind. Stick close, and watch our back."

A couple of minutes later, the floor beneath them exploded in a spray of rocks and other shrapnel. The flying debris cause lacerations to appear all over both of their bodies, though Ron back took the brunt of it, as he reacted the quickest and threw her against the wall and shielded her as best he could.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A Mudblood and a Blood traitor. This is going to be fun." sneered the Death eater that was approaching them slowly with his wand raised.

Ron knew he recognized that voice, but it was Hermione who knew it best. She could still hear it laughing from time to time in her nightmares as his magical whips cut into her flesh, again, and again.

"Do...Dolohov.." she whispered in fear.

"Ah. I see you recognize me." he said with pride, "I'm flattered."

Ron didn't need to hear anymore, and in a quick motion, he pulled his wand, turned and pointed it at the source of the taunting.

"DIFFINDO!" the redhead yelled.

The Deatheater silently threw up a shield with his bare hand, while he pointed his wand at Ron and cast, "Jacio!(3)"

Ron, not having heard of this spell before, threw up his strongest, "Protego!" and hoped for the best.

The spell, however, went right through Ron's shield, as it was designed to do, and sent him flying down the hall into the wall, rendering him unconscious.

Hermione was unable to move due to fear throughout their confrontation, however short it may have been.

"Now, mudblood, let us finish what we started in the Department of Mysteries." he sneered.

"But...but you're in Azkaban!" she retorted lamely, fear evident in her voice, as she unconsciously took a step back.

"Correction, I WAS in Azkaban, but my Lord emptied Azkaban this morning with the help of the Dementors. You find that the pathetic Ministry of Magic is now short a few prisoners, and Auror's too for that matter." he told her, as he chuckled to himself.

"But enough idle chit chat." he said, before slashing his wand towards her and creating a whip of fire to extend from it.

Hermione let her reflexes take over, and dove to the ground, rolled and then stood several feet away from her original position.

"You're quick, I'll give you that, but you can't be lucky forever." he taunted, before repeating the spell that once again missed its mark.

When she landed on her feet, Hermione she returned fire with the first spell that came to mind.

"Stupefy!" she yelled, pointing her wand at the target.

Silently, the Deatheater threw up a shield and chuckled with an amused look on his face.

"Still using fifth year defense spells? Oh no! I've finally met my match." he taunted sarcastically before returning fire silently with a sickly red bolt of magic.

Hermione blocked it expertly and thus began the exchange of spells.

Hermione shot off combinations of body binds, cutting curses and the occasional bludgeoning hex where as her opponent shot off many more lethal, and not as legal, spells including two of the three unforgivables.

"Crucio!" Dolohov yelled, falling back on a Deatheater classic, but missed his mark, just before diving to his right to avoid to angry unrecognized orange coloured spell that was shot his way by the schoolgirl he was fighting.

Hermione was not only holding her own, but was even starting to take control of the fight as her fear was slowly replaced by confidence, unfortunately, she was so focused on the Deatheater in front of her, that she didn't see the one sneaking up behind her.

"Crucio!" was the last thing she heard before she was consumed by pain. After what seemed to be an eternity of suffering, which was in reality about a second, she fell to the floor in relief, but still feeling some residual pain.

"You were losing to a little school girl? And a mudblood at that! I'm disappointed in you Antonin." the new comer mocked.

"Rookwood." the first man smirked, "It's good to see you too. She is surprisingly well versed in dueling...for a mudblood. I admit that I underestimated her, but I would have won this fight, even had you not stepped in." he said as he dusted himself off.

"Sure you would have. Was she alone?" Algernon Rookwood asked.

"No, her bloodtraitor boyfriend is down the hall unconscious." Antonin told him before exacting some revenge on the mudblood who embarrassed him in front of his colleague, "Crucio!"

He kept the spell brief, as he didn't want to drive the girl insane before he could have a little fun with her, after all, crazy people didn't know fear or really feel pain, and he wanted her to become very familiar with both. He wanted her to suffer at his hand and know a little of the pain he had felt in Azkaban thanks to her and Potter.

He turned to his partner to ask what they should do first to their captive, when he caught sight of a hilt of a small blade sticking out of the Rookwood's throat and he began to fall backwards, dead. He turned quickly in the direction that the blade would have come from to see the young Weasley boy walking slowly towards him with sword drawn.

"I challenge you, Antonin Dolohov, to a formal duel for attacking someone under the care and protection of the pureblood family of Weasley. No terms, not restrictions, to the death." the young man challenged in a gravely stern voice.

Having a demented sense of honour and support of old pureblood beliefs and ways, Antonin answered in complete seriousness, "Very well, young Weasley, I accept your challenge. Your terms are acceptable. Let's begin." As he was the one being challenged, he had the right to set the terms, however he didn't see the point as he agreed with the ones that were suggested.

Dolohov began by shooting off several spells, which Ron expertly deflected with his blade as he advance his target at a steady pace.

Antonin, not sure what to do, having never really been attacked by a sword before, raised his arm in protection as the katana came swinging down towards him.

The blade sliced smoothly through the Deatheaters arm, severing it just below the elbow, but before the man could scream out in pain, Ron turned his body and blade around a full 360 degrees, resulting in the clean decapitation of his opponent. The whole duel lasted ten seconds, leaving behind a blood covered Ron and a dead torturer.

Realizing that the woman he loved was injured, he uncharacteristically dropped his sword resulting in a loud clang and ran to her side to make sure she was alright. He then poured a pain-relieving potion down her throat, but before he could do anything else, he was hit in the back of the head by a body bind spell.

Lying there, unable to move, all he could do was look at the sneering face of his once ally.

"I'm so glad Harry made us do so many accuracy drills as I'm sure that spell would have bounced right off your battle robes." Justin Finch-Fletchy mocked with a Malfoy-esc sneer.

The traitor proceeded to cast a binding charm on both of his captives as well as gagging them.

"My Lord will be pleased. Stupefy!" was the last thing Ron heard before the spell hit him.

* * *

Neville heard the screaming before he was able to see the source, but he recognised the voice even through all the pain and suffering it held. 

"Demeter!" he whispered urgently to himself as he took off in a run.

He rounded the corner into a small open area to see Demeter writhing in pain while her torturer cackled in joy and pleasure. But it wasn't until Neville realized the identity of his friend's torturer that he truly saw red.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Contendo Cuspis (4)" Neville yelled, sending a wooden stake flying at the woman who tortured her parents to insanity. The spell itself was designed and used primarily for the hunting of vampires, but at the moment, Neville wanted to inflict pain, and this spell most definitely would.

The woman in question heard the spell being cast, and instinctually dove to the side, but not fast enough to totally avoid the piercing projectile as it stabbed into her shoulder, instead of the center of the back that Neville had initially aimed for.

Neville, not being in the sanest frames of mind himself at that moment, just kept shooting, "Adfligo, Verbero(5), Contendo Cuspis , Stupefy..." until Bella was finally able to erect a solid shield of rock before her.

Seeing that his attacks were no longer effective, he sent one more spell at the torturer of his parents, a cloud of vapour that hampered breathing so that Bellatrix would be more distracted, before making his way over to Demeter and transfigured a shoulder high stone semi circle wall around her for protection.

Bellatrix tried to get into a defensive posture as well she possibly could with three wooden spikes sticking out of various parts of her body and now also coughing severely. Though she was in pain, it appeared as though she was enjoying the sensation.

Neville stood up behind his protection and stepped out in order to face his target.

"Ah. Longbottom. _cough_ How delicious." she tried to say sweetly between coughs, "_cough_ I've wanted to _cough_ play with you for a **long** time."

Neville, not having anything to say to the creature before him, decided to stop this conversation with his wand.

"Adfligo, Diffindo, Verbero, Tundo(6), Diffindo, Verbero, Adfligo, Tundo, Diffindo."

With every spell he cast, he would teleport himself to a different place in the clearing to cast it and due to his ability as a breather of all, he didn't have to worry about inhaling the fumes still hovering around Bellatrix. Since teleporting is silent, and instantaneous, Bellatrix could do nothing but remain on the defensive.

This lasted for a good five minutes, during which time the vapour had completely dissipated. She managed to block almost every spell that came her way save two slicing hexes, (one hitting her leg, and the other her abdomen) and one bludgeoning hex that caught her off arm, shattering the bones inside it.

"STOP TOYING WITH ME LONGBOTTOM! FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE!!" she yelled, her voice extremely hoarse from coughing.

"EXCARNIFICO!! (7)" was the last word Bellatrix heard before her world exploded in pain.

Pain that lasted for a full thirty seconds until that same voice spoke sadly, "You are probably the only person I could cast that spell on successfully."

She would have responded with a snappy come back, or sarcastic jab had she been able to utter anything above a groan.

Neville had come across this curse in one of the old books in Potter Mansion. It was the grandfather of the Cruciatus Curse, and needed the same emotional support. Hate. Translated from the Latin, both words mean the same thing. It actually causes just as much pain as the popular unforgivable, but it doesn't result in insanity when over used. It just kills the victim. The main reason it fell out of use was that it was five syllables long, took a little more power to cast successfully and 'crucio' was so much easier for the average Deatheater to remember.

"And now that I've done it to you, I don't ever want to do it again." he admitted in disgust, "And I will never have to. Goodbye Lestrange."

"STUPEFY!" Neville shouted, dumping all the power possible into it to insure that she wouldn't wake before this was all over.

To say what happened next surprised him would be an understatement. The normally red coloured bolt of energy that usually signifies a Stupefy spell, was instead a deep purple.

Neville, wanting to make sure that the spell still worked properly, crouched next to his target to check the outcome, only to find Bellatrix Lestrange dead.

He would not spend anytime right now shedding tears for this animal, nor waste time trying to figure out what happened, especially not when better people, who were still alive, needed his help.

The young man then turned his full attention on his fallen friend, and set about mending her wounds as best he could.

"Bella? Bella are you alright?" Neville could hear from the other side of the makeshift wall he was currently housing Demeter behind.

The young Gryffindor bent down and whispered in the blond girls ear, "Don't worry love, I'll be right back. You'll be ok." before blending into the background and teleporting to the other side of the room.

There, kneeling over the fallen body of Bellatrix Lestrange was her husband, Rudolphus. Neville was so surprised, that he stumbled slightly, kicking a small piece of debris that was underfoot.

The Deatheater looked up at the source of the noise, but apparently seeing nothing, he returned his attention to his fallen wife.

Or at least Neville thought.

"Diffindo, Frango (8), Seco (9)," the older man cried as he suddenly got up and started casting spells directly at Neville, who was not expecting an attack and was unable to raise any shields.

The first spell one was mostly absorbed by Neville battle robe, leaving only a slight bruise, the second one, however, shattered his wand hand, and the third hex sliced a big gash along the left side of Neville's face, from below the chin, through the middle of his eye, and ending just shy of the hair line. The cut wasn't deep enough to kill him instantly, but he would die shortly if someone didn't help him.

The Deatheater approached the unconscious form of the young man and sneered, "Do you think you're the only one with hereditary abilities, Longbottom? Unconscious? What a shame. It would have been nice to torture you as I did your parents before killing you for murdering my wife. Though maybe I should be thanking you? She wasn't much of a house keeper after all, this gives me a chance to get a better, younger model."

Whatever he was going to say next, if anything, the world would never know as his robes were suddenly transfigured into an iron maiden. With vision fading, he saw a young girl emerge from the small rock wall behind him and move towards Neville slowly. It was apparent that she wouldn't last much longer on her feat either.

Had she not been gifted in transfiguration as a master of the art, she would not have been able to even come close to casting that spell on an opponent's robes successfully as they are protected from that kind of thing by the wearer's magic. But due to her gift, and the intense emotions she was feeling at the time, her spell work succeeded against all odds.

He tried to yell, but found that he couldn't speak as one of the spikes had pierced his vocal cords, and he knew he was slowly bleeding out from that and many other such wounds on his body.

He watched as she closed the gash on Longbottom's face, and force fed him a potion that she had pulled out of her robes.

The last sight he saw was of her collapsing on the Longbottom whelp before the whole world went black.

* * *

"Come on, Zabini. We don't have to be fighting like this." the man called over the debris he was hiding behind, before sending off another spell, "Diffindo" 

"And why's that, Parkinson?" Blaise called back to his year mate's father, before returning fire with a silent cutting spell of his own.

"You're a Slytherin, and you're a pureblood. Why don't you come and join us? You could be powerful!" the older man tried to lure, this time, not sending a spell along with his words.

A plan formed quickly in his head. Blaise responded, "And how would we go about doing that? How do I know that you wont kill me as soon as I step out from behind this rock."

Right after he yelled that, he peaked around the edge of his hiding place to see if there was any chance to get a good shot off if he did stand. When he looked though, he noticed something even better as a shimmering figure over to the side of the Deatheater's hiding place caught his eye.

'Athena' he thought as he smiled to himself looking down at the map in his hands.

"I haven't shot at you for since we started talking about this have I?" the hidden Deatheater yelled back, as he leveled his wand on the student's hiding spot. "Why don't we both step out and..."

The voice was cut off by the fact that the young witch behind the Deatheater had stunned him.

"All clear." Athena told him as she cast a body bind on the fallen death eater.

Blaise emerged from his hiding spot and addressed his friend, "Thanks for the help, but I had everything...DOWN!" he yelled as he leveled his wand and began to cast.

Athena dropped herself to the floor as the sickly green jet of magic flew over the spot she had been occupying only a split second before.

Blaise had wasted no time and cast, dropping the Deatheater with a common stunner before he could cast another spell, then rushed over to his fiery fallen redheaded friend.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Of course I am. I had everything under control." she teased back echoing back his words.

"Ya, ya, ya." the Slytherin replied sarcastically as he bound the Deatheater and floated him over to his partner.

"Blaise?" Athena asked.

"Ya?" the young man responded as he turned to look at her.

"Thanks." she said in full honesty, with a small smile on her face.

He smiled back, "Don't mention it. Now we're even."

She nodded in reply.

"Shall we?" the young man asked as he held out a shimmering silver robe.

"Lets!" she replied as she moved closer to allow him to put it on over both of them, "But you better not think of getting fresh with me under this thing, mister!"

Blaise rolled his eyes, "I have better taste than that." he told her with a grin.

Had anyone walked into the area at that moment, they wouldn't have seen a thing, but they probably would have heard the sound of a hand slapping a face rather harshly before the voice of a young man muttering, "It's not like I put my hand there on purpose!"

* * *

After a few more minutes, the wall Harry had been resting his hand on as he went along with the chameleon power of Gryffindor's cloak, started to sink back into the floor. He was a bit surprised as the spell he knew would not allow anyone to dispel it until only one team was standing, and as the walls slid back into the floor, Harry could see quite clearly that he and his were not the last ones standing. 

'It must have been a variation than.' he thought.

_What's a variation?_ Ginny asked groggily, _Ohhhh, my head._ She groaned mentally. _What happened?_

'Shhh, Gin. Stay still, don't move. I'll explain everything afterwards.' Harry sent her before blocking his thoughts and thinking, 'If there is an afterwards.'

As the walls receded, he fell into a defensive crouch, still under his cloak, and scanned the room until his eyes met the most horrifying sight he had ever seen.

'Gin. Don't open your eyes.' Harry tried to warn her, his eyes still glued on the sight before him. But it was too late as he heard her mental gasp.

"Oh Harry?" the Dark Lord called out mockingly, "Please reveal yourself and join us over here. If you refuse to, I cannot promise the safety of your...friends here." he sneered as he motioned in the direction that had cause and kept Harry's eyes ever since the walls fell.

In front of Voldemort were the unconscious forms of Ron, Hermione, Neville and Demeter. Harry though he could see at leas Neville and Hermione breathing, but he wasn't sure as he tried to ascertain the condition of his friends lying at the Dark Lord's feet. Each one was individually bound, and they were lying side by side on the floor. The four of them were surrounded by half a dozen Deatheaters, with at least one of their wands pointed at each of his friends.

As bad as this looked, Harry also knew, though, that this meant that Blaise and Athena were still out there.

Making his decision, not that it was a difficult one to make with his friends' lives hanging in the balance, Harry stood tall and willed his cloak to reveal him.

"Ah, there you are." Tom Riddle said with a sick, evil smile as Harry appeared not even five meters in from of him.

"_Let them go, Tom. It'sss me you want._" Harry hissed, defiantly in the language only his opponent would understand. He knew that he was in no shape to duel the Dark Lord at this point, especially not after wasting so much energy on Malfoy not even 10 minutes before, but he did want to unsettle the followers of the 'dark lord' as much as possible. He wasn't sure why he was stalling, but he continued to pray that something would come to him.

"Harry, Harry, Harry." the once headboy mocked in a patronizing tone of voice in English, "Everyone knows the only reason you can speak the noble language of snakes is because it was a gift I gave you as an infant. And besides that, you are in absolutely no position to be even making suggestions to me let alone attempting to order me around. So, no, I don't think I'll be letting them go. Besides, you seemed to have relieved me of a couple of my faithful followers, so I see no reason why I shouldn't return the favour." the Dark Lord threatened as he motioned to the dead bodies of Malfoy, Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov and Algernon Rookwood.

"And as you can see," the Dark Lord continued after pointing out each of his fallen followers, "You still owe me one."

Then the Dark Lord looked over at the side of the room and smiled grimly, "I think I'll take that one." he said as he wandlessly and wordlessly summoned the cloak that was hiding Ginny.

The young redhead was still to hurt to move, and so all she could do was weakly raise her wand at Voldemort causing him to chuckle as he, again, wandlessly and wordlessly cancelled all the obscuring spells Harry had placed on her.

Ginny gritted her teeth and tried to run, but stumbled quickly, leaving her wide open for the binding spell sent at her from one of Voldemort's followers.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Harry yelled as he cast a shield around her.

Harry's mind was desperately trying to form a plan. And he thought he might have something. If it worked, the invading party would be forced to leave, but if it failed, they'd all die, though on the bright side, so would Voldemort and his followers. He didn't know if Hogwarts could do what he needed her to do, but that wouldn't stop him from asking.

'Hogwarts, you can read my intentions, and my magic. I can't do what I need done alone. Can you help me?' he sent mentally.

Soon he was filled with a warm feeling of affirmation, which brought a small smile to his face.

They may just get out of this one after all.

After attempting to stun, bind and even levitate the young Weasley over to him, the Dark Lord smirked, more than a little impressed at young Potter's ability. Not that he would ever admit that.

"Very well Potter. It would appear that I must first finish you before I can have fun with your girlfriend." he said evilly as he raised his wand at Harry, "Do you have any last words before you are executed for your weakness?" the Dark Lord sneered.

"I do." Harry said, as he fiddled with the cube in his pocket, "HOGWARTS! NOW!"

Before any spells could be cast, before anyone could run or dive for cover, every person standing in the Great Hall suddenly vanished, leaving behind only the unconscious and the dead.

* * *

AN: I know, I know. You waited this long only to be faced with another cliffhanger. Sorry 'bout that. ;) Hopefully you wont have to wait that long for the next update. 

(1) from chapter 41(42) "...Something borrowed, something Blue."   
(2) Adfligo: crush, break, damage, ruin;  
(3) Jacio: throw, hurl, cast; throw away;  
(4) Contendo Cuspis : Shoot Stake (loosely translated)  
(5) Verbero: beat, strike, lash;  
(6) Tundo: beat; bruise, pulp, crush;  
(7) Excarnifico: torture; punish with torture; torture mentally;   
(8) Frango: break, shatter, crush;  
(9) Seco: cut, sever; divide in two/halve/split;

All Latin words were found at the web site: Words by William Whitaker. I'd post the link here, but ffnet wont let me, so I'll post it on my Yahoo site instead.

Only two more chapters to go people. Hopefully I'll get them both done this year :S. I want to apologize for the delay. This whole 'married life' thing is amazingly great, but unfortunately it really cuts into your free time ;) Not to mention that my wife is also now pregnant and I'm helping with the household chores as she has 24/7 morning sickness :( Another small problem is that for some reason this year, I actually find myself trying to pay attention in classes, maybe it's the poor marks I got last year or something. Anyways...I have the next two chapters laid out now all I have to do is flesh out the skeleton. See you soon...hopefully :S 

Farfumsane


	53. Battle Won

**Disclaimer: ** Even though it has been a long while since I last posted, I was not able to acquire any of the ownership over Harry Potter and the world in which he lives...more's the pity. If I did...Oh the wonderous things I could do... But as it stands...I own nothing, I make nothing, I am...nothing...(snif) Anyways...on with the show!

**Chapter 52: Battle Won**

"POTTER!! What is the meaning of this? Where are we?" demanded Voldemort, his annoyance clearly displayed on his face, as his wand remained trained on Harry.

Everyone had reappeared in a room that looked identical to the DA practice room that the group had used the previous year when hiding from Umbridge.

At seeing their new location, and lack of hostages, all the other Deatheaters in the room pointed their wands at the two visible enemies, Harry and Ginny, who had somehow appeared side by side, though Harry was the only one of the two standing. Ginny, in her beaten and weakened state, merely lay on the ground next to him on some of the cushions.

"Your stooge, there, should be able to tell you where we are." Harry said as he motioned towards Justin, "After all, we met here regularly last year for D.A."

"Explain!" the Dark Lord ordered his follower.

Justin began his explanation, "It's the Room of Requirement, my Lord. Potter explained it as..."

"ENOUGH! I know what it does, you imbecile. Do you take me for a fool? I have had to read your description of this room a good dozen times in your pathetic reports. Do not insult my intelligence, or you will find that it would be the last thing you do." Voldemort told the traitor angrily, before turning his full attention back on to Potter.

"I would kill you now, Potter, but I find myself with several questions that it would appear you alone can answer." The Dark Lord paused to organize his thoughts, and then proceeded, "First, and foremost, you will tell me how you were able to transport us all here. This means of mass transportation that does not require either a portkey, or physical contact intrigues me. Second, You will tell me why you brought us here in the first place." he demanded.

As he waited for Harry to respond, he attempted to glean the answer from the boy's mind with subtle Legilemency, hoping that the question would make the boy think of the answer, even if Potter refused to tell him, so as to bring it to the for front of his mind and make it easier to mentally scoop up. Voldemort was not expecting, however, to find such a solid occlumentic barrier. He had been practicing this art for many decades, and even his walls weren't as solid as Harry Potter's. He now knew the reason for his recent inability to reach the boy's mind through their link. He had a feeling that even with a full mental assault, he would he would find it difficult to overcome Potter's defenses.

Harry smirked, "I will answer your second question first." he told the man before him, as he pulled a wooden cube from his robe pocket, "I wanted to show you this."

The Deatheaters present tensed as Harry pulled something from his robe, the few who hadn't yet done so, raised their wands and pointed them at him.

Voldemort, on the other hand, look confused at the sight of the puzzle cube, not sure as to where this conversation was going. Unable to resist, he asked, "And what would _that_ be?"

"Again, it's something that I'm sure your little rodent should be able to explain, but since you seem to be enjoying the sound of my voice, I'll humour you." Harry replied cheekily, with much more confidence than he currently possessed, being so greatly outnumbered and practically exhausted. He was wiped, and knew that if a battle occurred, even one of Voldemort's Deatheaters would probably be able to take him out with little effort. He just didn't have much left after his fight with Draco, and healing of Ginny, not to mention transporting everyone here. He would not have been able to extend the transportation field to cover the entire great hall had Hogwarts not helped him. After all, you can't apparate inside Hogwarts...unless Hogwarts lets you, and helps out.

With a couple of quick flicks of his wrist, the puzzle cube that had just been solved was dropped next to the wall beside Harry and began growing against it, as he answered, "It's my portable Room of Requirement." Harry began.

Voldemort watched in well-hidden amazement and curiosity as the door unfolded, and young Potter put his hand on the doorknob. This room would be an amazing resource, and he couldn't help but let his mind wander to all the possibilities, before he was brought back to the present as Harry continued speaking.

"The difference between the room we're in though, and the room on the other side of this door, is that MY Room of Requirement is _completely_ in the magical plain and not just _partially_ attached to it." he further expounded with a look of determination on his face.

Voldemort was not an unintelligent man, despite his psychotic tendencies, and realized immediately what Harry Potter was threatening him with.

"You wouldn't!" the Dark Lord accused, with his wand still aimed directly at the one who was possibly about to raze this entire Castle in the very least.

Magical explosions was one line even no Dark Lord had ever crossed, as the results were magically devastating. Not only did they wipe out an entire area of magic all together, but acres around the blast site would become magically wild and unpredictable, and since magic was the main weapon and defense of Dark Lords, they refused to put themselves at that much of a disadvantage. (1)

The grin that had been gracing Harry's lips fell, and his face lost all sense of levity as he glared at his nemesis, "If it were just me, you and your followers, I would have done this as soon as we appeared in this room and finished this war. The only thing holding me back from opening it right now, and wiping out a small chunk of Scotland, is the fact that I know that my friends downstairs are still alive, and if I were to go through with this, it would kill them. But if you, or one of your puppets, make even the SLIGHTEST move to curse or approach me, so help me Merlin, it will be the last move you make."

No one in that room doubted Harry's conviction. They could see the look of a trapped animal in his eyes, and knew that if pressed, he would lash out and take everyone there with him.

"It would appear that we are at a stalemate, Potter." the Dark Lord grimaced. He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't help but admire the young man's plan. It was very... Slytherin...well, except for the whole self-sacrifice part. Though in the same situation, Voldemort couldn't help but think he would have done the same.

Harry, wanting to make his point, and illicit some sort of reaction from his enemies, pushed it a little further, "If Dumbledore has taught me anything, Tom, it's that sometimes, we must make sacrifices for the greater good." he told them, with a maniacal gleam in his eyes, as he began to turn the handle.

"NO!!!!" the self proclaimed Dark Lord shouted before quickly activating his emergency portkey in hopes that his second entry team had completed their mission and lowered the wards. Unfortunately they hadn't quite finished yet, apparently, but that didn't stop the Dark Lord as he pushed some of his own power into the portkey, completely tearing through the wards around the school as he left, causing them to fall completely.

Once the other Deatheaters in the room noticed that their Lord had vanished, they too started to activate their portkeys, but unfortunately for them, they hadn't counted on the fact that Blaise and Athena had been under an invisibility cloak. No sooner had the Dark Lord vanished, than Blaise and Athena started firing stunners into the confused group of Deatheaters.

As Ginny saw what was happening around her, she raised her wand and dropped the one target she didn't want getting away. And with a well placed 'Stupefy', Justin hit the floor.

A few got away, but Athena and Blaise quickly bound the ones they had stunned. Blaise did a quick locate portkey spell afterwards, that they had discovered in Harry's library, and removed the captives' means of escape.

Suddenly, Harry could feel a sense of panic rising within him. It was similar in source to the warm sensation that he had experienced earlier when Hogwarts had answered him, but this time, it was a feeling of panic and vulnerability.

"What's wrong Harry?" Athena asked, after hearing Ginny's questions go unanswered.

"The wards are down." he answered distantly with eyes glazed over, almost as if he were someplace else.

"What? How do you know that?" Blaise asked, after binding the last of the fallen Deatheaters.

"Hogwarts just told me." the founder's heir answered his friends in a distant voice, his eyes still unfocused.

He didn't know exactly how, nor did he know where the power to do this would come from, but somehow he knew what he had to do. Taking out Godric's wand, he subconsciously turned it into a staff and began to chant in Latin.

Blaise and Athena watched in concern as the Cloak of Gryffindor returned to its normal appearance and began to flow around him as if being blown by an unseen wind, and debated whether or not they should stop him. It was obvious that this was a large spell, and they were worried that in his current weakened state, he would just end up hurting himself or worse.

Unfortunately for them, that option was taken away from them as they, and the still prone form of Ginny, were transported from the room, along with everyone else, except Harry, back to the Great Hall.

Harry didn't notice any of this though, and just continued to chant. He didn't notice the time passing or even the magic swirling around him. He had never heard the words he was chanting before, nor had he read them, but that didn't matter at the moment. As soon as they entered his mind, he would speak them. The chant continued as the magic around him slowly built up from an audible hum to an almost deafening roar, but he continued to chant.

Unbeknownst to him, this had happened before as it had been designed to do many years ago by the founders of this school. Should the wards ever fall completely, Hogwarts herself would relay the information of how to raise them again from scratch to the most powerful wizard, with the students' best interest in mind, on the premises, not necessarily the headmaster, so that her charges would remain as safe and protected as possible. It was also preferable that the one chosen was an heir of one of the founders, but that wasn't a requirement.

But Harry didn't know any of this. All he knew was that Hogwarts and her students were in trouble, and he had been chosen to help. How could he refuse? It was his obligation as an heir of one of the founders.

Once the task was completed, he had enough time to smile weakly with the knowledge that the students were safe again and mutter, "That should do it." before collapsing from extreme magical exhaustion.

* * *

Several minutes earlier in the Great Hall... 

The silence in the Great Hall was suddenly shattered with the appearance of Blaise, Athena and Ginny, who promptly cried out, "HARRY!!!" from her still prone position on the floor.

_Harry? Are you there? Are you ok?_ Ginny tried mentally, but received no response, as she struggled to rise. The lack of response worried her considerably, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it from here. But try as she might, she couldn't get up, and for some reason, she couldn't even smoke travel to the room. Something was blocking her.

Seeing her struggling, Athena ran to Ginny and did some quick healing. Blaise, on the other hand, wasted no time in running to the doors of the Great Hall, which had repaired themselves sometime before their return, to try to go back to Harry, but they were sealed tight.

After throwing a few more spells at the doors, and kicking it one more time for good measure, Blaise conceded, "It's no good."

"There's nothing we can do for Harry right now, Ginny." Athena told the girl as she placed her arm around her shoulders after helping her to get up, "Let's make sure that the others are alright. At least that's something we can do while we wait."

Ginny nodded mutely, still worrying for her boyfriend.

On her way over to the wounded, whom Athena and Blaise were already in the process of healing, she noticed her ex-boyfriend lying bound and unconscious on the other side of the room.

_I need to know._ She thought to herself as he feet carried her towards the fallen form of the bound traitor.

Once she got there, Ginny enervated him.

Shaking himself out of a daze, and gathering his bearings, he looked and saw who the person was who was standing over him, "Oh Ginny, thank Merlin it's you! Quick, untie me before the others figure out what you're doing." Justin urged her with a small smile.

She just looked at him incredulously, "What?"

"We don't have much time! Quick, free me. I know you were only with Potter because I wasn't good enough for you. I wanted to tell you, but I was sworn to secrecy. The Dark Lord is going to turn me into a pureblood through rituals of his own design. I'll finally be good enough for you." Justin told her frantically, not knowing that no such rituals existed.

"Wh...what are you saying?" Ginny asked, fearing what she would hear.

"Don't you see? I did this all for you. I didn't want to be an embarrassment to you. You deserve the best, not some filthy mudblood. The Dark Lord is going to change all that. He's going to make me pure, and then we can live proudly as one of his servants. You don't need to pretend with Potter anymore, we can go off together, but hurry, the others will notice if you don't hurry up." he told her honestly, motioning towards his binds with his head.

"How did you do this?" she asked. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know, but if she didn't ask now, they might never find out.

Time was of the essence, but he could tell she wouldn't act until he explained a little, "Voldemort cast a protective spell on my mind so that no thoughts of his and my collaboration would come to the front of my mind, so that way no surface legilimens, like Dumbledore or I'm pretty sure Potter is one too now, could read my thoughts. That was the hard part, the rest of the deception was easy. He had me sign a magically binding oath that would supercede the one that I had to sign in DA. His oath was more powerful than that mudblood Granger could have ever hoped to make, and just as added security, I had my name officially and magically changed to Justice Wyvernclaw, a good pureblood name, so as to render my signature with any other name null and void. Now hurry, we don't have much time." he urged her.

To say that Ginny was confused would be an understatement. She didn't want to believe that she had any part in Justin's betrayal, but he had just told her, from his mouth, that he was doing it for her. It wasn't, however, enough to make her feel as though she was responsible. Mostly, she just felt bad for Justin. She could no longer be angry at him. She couldn't hate him.

She pitied him.

With a sad smile on her face she said, "I never once told you that I wanted you to change. I loved you for who you were. I just didn't love you as much as I loved another. I thought you understood that." she told him sadly as she placed her open hand on his cheek.

"Ginny! I ..." but she silently cast a silencing charm at him with her wand. She didn't want to hear anymore.

"No Justin. Don't say anything else. It's over. It's been over for some time. If you truly loved me, and truly knew me, than you would have known that all that you did to 'impress me' would mean nothing to me. I don't like someone for their titles, or status. I like them for who they are. I'm with Harry, not because he's more popular or more important than you, not because he's the boy-who-lived, but because...he's Harry." she told him truthfully with a tear in her eye, before standing in front of him.

"Goodbye Justin." she told the silently pleading young man on the floor, before stunning him again, replacing his gag and going to help her friends.

"Ginny? What are you doing?" Hermione asked her suspiciously, while at the same time very weakly.

Ginny turned and smiled, "You're alright!!" she said as she ran over and carefully hugged the girl.

Hermione smiled despite herself, but remembering her question, she asked again, "Thanks Ginny, but you didn't answer my question."

Ginny frowned slightly, "I don't exactly know what I was doing. I just...I had to know. I _needed_ to know..." she broke off, trying to stem the tears that were threatening to fall.

Hermione hugged her friend tightly and whispered in her ear, "Shhh. Don't think about it. It wasn't your fault."

Ginny chuckled through her light tears.

"What?" Hermione asked after pulling back and looking at her friend questioningly.

"I just couldn't help but wonder how many times you've had to say that to Harry over the years." Ginny confessed with a sniffle, before smiling weakly at her friend.

"Harry!" Hermione snapped with concern in her voice, "What happened to him? Where is he?"

Hermione, who had just woken up, was now being overwhelmed with concern for her friend.

"Last we saw him he was alright. Voldemort had vanished, I think it was a portkey, and we stunned a bunch of the other Deatheaters before they could escape, but after everything settled down, Harry help up his staff and started chanting. Before we could stop him, we were somehow sent back here." Ginny explained.

"Where were you?" Hermione asked, not having caught that part in Ginny's explanation.

"We were in the Room of Requirement." Ginny admitted.

Hermione concentrated for a moment, 'What could he be doing up there?' she wondered.

_I'm not sure. I've been trying to figure that out myself since he sent us back down._ Ginny replied.

"Would you stop doing that?! I'm trying to think." Hermione responded out loud in frustration, though clearly not too upset.

"It's not my fault you broadcast so loudly." Ginny muttered, not quite loud enough for the bushy hared thinker to hear her.

"ARGH!" Hermione finally exclaimed in frustration, "There's no way to know what he was doing without a copy of the words." she admitted.

It was at that time that the double doors to the Great Hall finally burst open, and a small contingent of Hogwarts students and staff, with the headmaster in the lead, entered.

The questions were written on Dumbledore's face, but it was also clear that this was not the place, and these were not the people in front of which, this conversation should take place.

"It is good to see you all well. Where is Harry?" Dumbledore asked with a concerned look on his face.

Before anything else could be said, Ginny and Hermione quickly ran from the room, leaving all others behind.

Knowing where the two girls were headed, and not wanting to get into this conversation in front of everyone, Ron, who had just been briefed on the situation by Blaise and Athena, started giving orders the D.A. members that were present.

"Alright everyone, listen up. We're pretty sure that there are no more Deatheaters in the castle and we know that Voldemort has definitely left, but we also think that the wards have fallen. D.A., I want you to divide up in your classes and patrol the castle. D.A. Staff, I want you to implement patrol route 'Cow' for the ground and air troupes. Castle group, I want you to implement patrol route 'Rat'. Remember, we're still at alert status. Keep your wands ready, and eyes sharp. Those of you not on patrol right now, get some rest, it'll be your turn soon. As soon as this threat is over, we'll relax, for now we have work to do. Dismissed!" Ron ordered, before calling out, "Luna!"

"Yes Ronald?" inquired the spectre who had slowly emerged from the floor before him.

"Could you please check with the other ghosts to make sure that all the deatheaters have left the building?" Ron asked her.

"I already have Ronald. They have all said that the deatheaters have indeed left Hogwarts, and the Garnal Testalites agree with them." Luna told him with confidence.

"Th..thanks Luna." Ron replied, uncertainly, "If the Testalites say we're fine, who am I to disagree." Ron told her, fighting a look of confusion that was threatening to take over his face, in an attempt at placating her eccentric nature.

Luna merely nodded in reply before drifting through a wall.

While Ron and Luna chatted, Professor McGonagall was curiou, "Patrol routes 'cow' and 'rat'?" she whispered to the unphased Neville who was now standing nearby watching the exchange between Ron and Luna with a bit of amusement. She didn't know who was in charge at this point, but she did know that the Headmaster had put his faith in Harry's group, and Neville was definitely a part of that group. Blaise had patched him up enough to stand and move about, but he still looked rather battered, though anything else would have to wait until there was time to see Pomfrey.

"We have a whole barnyard of patrol routes. These two used together are the most comprehensive and cover the most ground." he explained.

"But why use barnyard animals?" Professor Flitwick inquired as he too was curious, "And why those two specifically?"

"Well, as for Cow, they are to check and patrol all common grazing sites and walking paths, all main areas and commonly used hallways. 'Rat', on the other hand, is for the secret passages and the unused and obscure hallways and such." Blaise explained.

"And as for why animals, why not?" Neville interjected, "Apparently in the army they use letters of the Greek alphabet, and things like that, but when you're dealing with a group of kids, the last think you want to make them do is have to memorize an entirely new alphabet. So when we asked what we should use, someone suggested animals. When describing patterns outside the castle we use magical creatures, and inside, in the barn, we use muggle ones."

"Just wait till you hear about the memory tools we used to have them remember which animal was which pattern." Blaise added with a knowing smirk.

For some reason, the transfiguration professor was sure she wasn't going to like it, but she asked none the less, "And what, pray tell, is that?"

Neville's cheeks coloured a tad in embarrassment, but before he could answer, a bunch of the younger year students, on their way to patrol answered it for him.

"Old McGonagall had a farm, eee-i, eee-i, Oh. And on that farm she had a cow..." the voices sang as they left the room, much to the amusement of all the staff present, save one.

"My, Minerva, whatever is the matter?" silkily asked one, Severus Snape, who was very much enjoying this situation.

"Stuff it, Severus." was all she muttered, in a rather thick Scottish accent, much to the eliciting a laugh from the diminutive charms professor standing next to her.

Choosing to come to his Assistant Headmistresses' aide, Professor Dumbledore addressed those who remained, "All professors, save heads of houses, please join a group of students in their patrols. We shall have a full staff meeting as soon as we know exactly what is going on, and things have calmed down a bit. In the mean time, please do your best to keep the peace among the students."

Seeing this as the dismissal it was, the other staff, and the few remaining students, exited the room.

"Now that we have occupied the majority of the staff and students, please, tell me what happened to Harry." the headmaster pleaded, strait to the point for a change.

"We're not sure, professor, but I'm assuming that Ginny and Hermione just went to find out." Ron supplied.

"Let's go. You need medical attention." said Blaise as he helped a rather wounded Neville.

"Not till we find out about Harry. Let's go to there first. None of my injuries are life threatening and Demeter will be alright too." Neville said as he struggled to his feet.

"Why? Where is he? Where are we going?" Dumbledore asked anxiously. Once again, he had no idea what was going on, and he hated that feeling.

"The Room of Requirement." Athena told him as she supported her sister as they walked out of the room in pursuit of Neville and Blaise who had just left with no thought at all to the staff members still present in the Great Hall.

* * *

"HARRY!!" Ginny yelled as she banged on the door to the Room of Requirement. 

Hermione did her best to comfort he near hysterical girl beside her, but she kept her mouth closed as she didn't think anything she had to say would help.

"Why isn't he answering Hermione?" Ginny asked in a pleading tone, "Do you think he's ok?"

Hermione tried to smile, "Of course he's alright. He's gotten through much worse before, and he's in Hogwarts, a magical building his ancestor built, I don't think she'd let anything happen to him if she could at all help." she assured her.

Ginny lifted her head and looked up hopefully at Hermione, "You think so?"

Hermione nodded end enveloped her friend in a hug.

Suddenly, there was a charge that ran through the air that everyone in the castle felt, and a bright flash of light that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Ginny jumped out of Hermione's friendly embrace and turned back towards the door just as it opened.

"That should do it." said the figure standing in the middle of the room as he leaned heavily upon his staff before collapsing, unconscious an instant later.

* * *

-sniff- That smell, I know that smell. 

-sniff, sniff- I definitely know that smell. It's clean. It smells...almost...white? How can a smell be white?

'Mmmm...warm.' he thought, 'It's definitely warm, even if it did smell sterile and clea...Oh NO! NOOOOOOOOOO!'

He groaned to himself as his other senses caught up, and his hearing kicked in.

"He's just resting. Whatever he did was extremely draining on his magic. He shouldn't wake up til tomorrow morning at the earliest..." the female voice stated in a professional manor.

'I can't believe in I'm here again. I was so close. I almost made it the whole school year without a visit. But no...I just had to go and drain myself putting the wards back up.' Harry thought to himself.

'_Thank you for your help my young master.' _a new voice in his head answered. She sounded old and wise, motherly and loving and Harry knew instinctively who it was. After all, if the Founders could leave behind a sentient hat...

'You're very welcome, Hogwarts, it was the least I could do. Thank you for your help as well. I would never have been able to get rid of Tom without it.' Harry responded, not really all that surprised that the castle was talking to him. After all, with all that Harry had seen and experienced these last 6 years, nothing surprised him anymore.

'_You're welcome child.'_

Harry usually didn't like being referred to as a child, but for some reason he did feel offended when she addressed him as such. Maybe it was that he always felt safe and at home within her walls, or maybe it was that she was more than a thousand years old, and to her everyone, including the headmaster, was a child.

'How is it that I can hear your voice now?' Harry wondered.

'_You are the keeper of my wards and the heir of one of my creators. They used to talk to me as well, though at that time I was the child; young and naive about the world. Over the years I have learned much. This is something that Godric, Rowena, Helga and Salazar created me with so that if future heirs of their blood were to take on the position of Headmaster, I could talk to them and tell them all about their ancestors and my secrets.'_ she explained.

Harry listened to the voices around him for a couple of seconds as he processed what he had heard from Hogwarts.

'I should probably let them know that I'm alright.' Harry thought.

'_That might be a good idea, I can feel the worry of everyone in the castle for your well being. Especially the young ones in the room with you. Speaking of whom, I would most like to talk to Helga's child at some point if you could arrange it, I will teach you how to do that at a later time though.'_ she told him.

'Helga's child? One of the others is a descendant of a founder as well?' Harry thought in response, almost in disbelief.

'_Yes. Many of the children within my walls have the blood of my creators, but one of your friends is her most direct child, and senior Heir.'_ the castle responded.

'That could only be Neville then. He's the only one who is the head of his family apart from me.' Harry replied mentally.

'_You are correct, young Gryffindor, though he is descended from Godric as well, not as directly as you mind you, just as the Weasleys. Now there's a family I do so love. They have almost as many children as I do.' _she chuckled to herself. _'The triplets have the blood of Rowena running through their veins, and the young snake in your midst might be interested to know that he has some of Salazar's and Rowena's blood, though in very small amount in both cases. You might be surprised to learn that you also have some of Rowena's and Helga's blood in you and some of Salazar's magic. The wizarding world is not a large one here in Europe, and with the ridiculous obsession with 'blood purity' that some of the older family's have, it's not a surprise that so many of you have the blood of the same ancestor._ Hogwarts told him.

'I didn't know that.' Harry thought pensively, 'Though I probably should have.'

'_But enough of this, we have a long, long time to talk. Right now, you should open your eyes, drop your mental shields and let everyone know you're alright. The youngest Weasley has been trying to find you for quite some time now.'_ she told him.

He was a tad confused now, he hadn't noticed that his shields were up, but now that he was aware of it, he wondered how she was able to talk to him.

'_We'll talk about it later, now get up.'_ she nudged him pleasantly.

"Oh look! He's moving!" said the excited voice of the young woman he loved and he shifted his weight in the bed to get a bit more comfortable.

"I was so close." Harry muttered through a dry throat.

'Water please, Gin.' he thought to her afterwards.

She merely smiled and handed him the glass by his bed.

"Thanks." he responded after taking a sip.

"What was that mister Potter?" the Headmaster asked, not sure he heard clearly.

"I was thanking her for the water." Harry replied cheekily.

"I was referring to what you said before the water, Harry." Albus responded with an amused expression, the twinkle in his eyes slowly returning at seeing that his young protégé was indeed alright.

"I said that I was so close." Harry repeated.

"Close to what, mate?" Ron asked, despite the fact that he thought he knew what Harry was talking about.

"Close to lasting a whole year _without_ a stay in the Hospital wing. I was sooo close." Harry told them with an ever exaggerated emotional sigh, which earned him a small, almost forced chuckle from those around him.

Seeing their response, and remembering the battle that had just taken place, Harry's smile fell, and with a grim expression asked, "How many?"

"How many what?" asked Demeter.

But again, Ron knew what he was talking about, "Eight dead, 28 wounded."

"Who?" Harry asked, dreading to hear the names of the fallen.

Suddenly understanding, the others remained silent. Ginny slid her hand into his for support before Ron told him.

"Owen Caldwell, 3rd year Hufflepuff; Melissa Jennings, 4th year Hufflepuff; Samantha Wright, 5th year Slytherin; Charles Ashby, 4th year Slytherin; Brian Lobowski, 7th year Ravenclaw, Maria Gordon, 5th year Ravenclaw; Peter Reed, 2nd year Ravenclaw; and Colin Creevey..." Ron told him, trying hard not to be emotional, as everyone else in the room were also trying to fight back tears, some, such as Hermione and Demeter.

Harry was staying relatively well composed throughout the listing, until Colin's name that is, at which point his mask was broken, and a tear escaped his eye. No weeping, no sniffling. There would be time for that after the war. He was just so thankful that there were so few.

"Thank you Ron." he said softly, trying really had to keep emotion out of it, as he squeezed Ginny's hands a little tighter to keep it from cracking.

Ron nodded and stepped back from the bed.

Seeing that a change in topic was in order, Dumbledore spoke up, "Harry, it would, more likely than not, help Madam Pomfrey if you were able to tell us what happened in the Room of Requirement after your friends were sent back to the Great Hall."

Harry nodded slightly, in acknowledgement and thanks to what Albus was doing, and answered, "Hogwarts needed me to help her repair the wards around the school." he answered honestly.

"How damaged were they?" the concerned looking Headmaster asked.

"Completely destroyed." Harry responded matter-of-factly.

Albus did his best not to show the shock that he was feeling, "How were you able to raise them without help?" Dumbledore himself needed the help of the heads of houses to strengthen them sufficiently every year. If Harry was able to do it alone, just how powerful was he? "How is it you were able to accomplish this by yourself and where did you get the spells to do it?"

"Hogwarts told me, and I listened to her directions." the young man told him.

'_The only reason it takes him so much power to do it is because he doesn't do it correctly. He tries to infuse his own power into them instead of using the magic that's all around him. The Magic that the students have been creating for the whole year. That magic has already become a part of me, and so it is much easier to direct that which already exists into something useful, than trying to create something completely new. The correct way has been lost for many centuries centuries though, until I showed you that is.'_ the castle told him, much to his amusement, and Ginny's surprise as she had been able to listen in somehow. _'It would actually take less power to raise the wards from nothing to full power than to try to infuse already existing wards with more power from a foreign source. If you did it his way, it would be better to drop them every 5 years or so and re-raised them for maximum power and efficiency. But we shall speak of in more depth at a later date.'_

Harry smiled at the confused and maybe a little worried expression on the headmaster's face, "No sir, I'm not _that_ powerful. Hogwarts has just told me that it takes less power to raise the wards from nothing to full power than it does to infuse already existing wards with more power from a different source, like the way you do it. Apparently, there's a much easier, and more efficient, way of doing it. She's told me that the wards were designed to be recharged using some of the ambient magic left over after every full year of student spell use within her walls. I'd be happy to show you a simpler, and less magically exhausting way of recharging, or even raising the wards from scratch, after she explains to me exactly how it's done."

Albus was more than a little surprised at the revelation given to him by his young pupil, though by now, he should be used to Harry revealing things to him that he would have never dreamed of seeing. Albus certainly hoped that Harry would one day succeed him as head of this institution, though he would never admit that out loud to anyone. Well, not yet anyways.

"That would be very much appreciated, Harry. And I would also like to take advantage of your ability to communicate with the castle at some point to ask her a few questions if that would be alright." the elderly man asked, clearly excited at the prospect of talking to the great edifice he had been serving in for so long.

"Yes sir. That would be fine." Harry told him.

Harry then turned his attention to Ron, "How is everyone handling it?"

"The younger years are having more problems dealing with it than the senior ones, but that's to be expected. This is their first battle. Staff is putting up a strong, united front, but when they're alone, I've seen how they're really dealing. Over all, they're mourning, but they'll be ok." Ron told him.

"I'll call a meeting as soon as I'm paroled...I mean released." Harry teased, getting a few scattered, if not subdued, chuckles. "How did the outside battle go sir? Did everything work alright?"

"That is a question I shall answer at a later date, Harry. You know the basics now. The details can wait for another time." the headmaster answered him.

"If you don't mind, sir, I'd like to hear it now." Harry told him firmly.

The Headmaster sighed, but agreed.

The group sat quietly listening to Dumbledore's synopsis of the battle. It appeared that all went according to plan, and those that fell were a result of a lucky shot, or a small mistake made by that individual. Harry knew that he would learn more at the next D.A. meeting which he planned on using as a debriefing. He was planning on asking some of the fighters for the memories of the event as well so he could see it with his own eyes, but that would have to wait.

"That is all I was able to see, Harry. I'm sorry for the loss of your friends, but if it helps, many more would have perished today if not for the training you had given them. I am immensely proud of all of you." he said as he looked at each of them in turn.

"Thank you sir." Harry replied on behalf of his friends.

The wizened Headmaster merely nodded before changing the subject, "Though I do believe that Madam Pomfrey would be less than pleased with us if we continued to pester her patient with stressful conversation." he said with a dimmed twinkle.

Harry agreed with a slight nod, and a forced smile. 

The next half an hour or so was spent in quiet conversation, and though the mood wasn't light by any means, it was comforting to spend time with friends, especially after such an ordeal.

After some time, Albus spoke up, "We should probably leave Mister Potter to rest, though we will have to speak soon Harry, as I have many questions that you were not able to answer before the attack, and a few more questions that have surfaced since then as well." the Headmaster told him in a tone that while friendly, showed that he would not let this topic drop.

"Of course sir." Harry acquiesced with a slight nod.

"We'll see you later, mate. Get some rest." Neville said as he patted Harry's foot with his free hand as he walked past on his way out of the infirmary.

The others all said something similar to show their support and love, and were gone. Ginny promised him mentally that she'd flame back as soon as Madame Pomfrey called it a night, to see him, which Harry thanked her for. As soon as everyone had left, Harry fell into a fitful asleep and dreamed of battles, enemies, and lost friends.

* * *

**AN:** I'll start with the mandatory apology for the length of time it took me to update. Life happened. There's not much I can do about it, but I will try to be a little more diligent in working on this as it is a great stress relief. I just wish I had more time away from work that was my own. This whole marriage thing is great, but man does it take up a lot of time ;)

**(1)** For more information see Dumbledore's explanation in Chapter 4: Confessions

Before you start sending criticisms to my editors for any mistakes you see, please know that they had nothing to do with this chapter. I was so far behind that I figured I better just post it and deal the bad grammar and possible spelling mistakes later .

Ok, so I was a tad off when I said two more chapters. After going over my notes more thoroughly, I have discovered that I have a few loose ends to tie up and this will take more writing than I had initially planned. So please bear with me as I produce yet another two chapters followed by an Epilogue. I think. But with me, you can never bee too certain.

Thank you all again for your support, and for all of you who've asked, my wife and I are doing well, and apart from my wife's 24/7 morning sickness (trust me when I say it's not fun for the mother nor the me) the pregnancy is going along great. Had the first ultra sound: ten fingers, ten toes, healthy heart etc, so all is looking well. Due date is approx June 4th for those of you who are curious.

Farfumsane.


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